Department for Transport

Driving: Licensing

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Article 2 of Directive 2006/126/EC10, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on EU recognition of UK driving licences of the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Grayling: While the UK is still a member of the EU, the same rules apply and UK licences continue to be recognised by all Member States. We will be seeking to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with the EU to cover the continued recognition and exchange of UK licences after exit so that UK licence holders are not required to carry additional documentation. In the absence of this we will be seeking bilateral agreements with individual member states. If there is no deal with the EU, the contingency is that both private and professional drivers may need an International Driving Permit (IDP), as well as their UK driving licence to drive in the EU following exit. IDPs would be issued under either the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, which is already in force for the UK or the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic which will come into force for the UK on 28th March 2019.

Railways: North of England

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days (a) Northern and (b) Transpennine Express have achieved their performance targets since the start of its franchise in April 2016.

Joseph Johnson: The performance benchmarks for both Northern and TransPennine Express are calculated on a 4-weekly period based on a moving annual average rather than assessed against individual days. There is a re-benchmarking process currently underway to assess the impact on the franchisees’ performance regimes of late the delivery of infrastructure against that assumed in their bids. Once this exercise has been completed, the Department will be able to assess how Northern and TransPennine Express have performed against their targets.

Driving under Influence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of people who are (a) killed and (b) injured by motorists who are over the legal limit of alcohol.

Jesse Norman: Tackling drink driving is a priority for the Government and important steps have already been taken to tighten drink driving legislation. Since 2015, high risk offenders such as repeat drink drivers have to provide medical proof that they are not alcohol dependent before getting their licence back; the right to a blood test was also removed for drivers who narrowly fail a breathalyser test, denying those people the chance to sober up while waiting for the test to be taken; and a £350,000 innovation competition to provide police forces with the next generation of mobile breathalyser equipment has recently completed and bids are under review.

M20: Large Goods Vehicles

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Secretary of State for Defence was consulted on the use of Manston Airport as part of the planning process under the Town and Country Planning (Operation Stack) Special Development Order 2015 and its subsequent amendments in 2016 and 2017; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of Manston Airport as a lorry park on its high resolution direction finding facility.

Jesse Norman: An operational protocol has been established between all relevant organisations in the event there is a requirement to utilise Manston Airport as a lorry holding area. This includes a protocol for the high resolution direction finding facility located on the site.

Members: Correspondence

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the letters of 17 May 2018 and 3 July 2018 from the hon. Member for Clacton regarding infrastructure improvements in Essex.

Joseph Johnson: I apologise for the delay in responding to your letters. I understand that my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State will be meeting with you shortly to discuss the specific issues you raised in your letters.

Network Rail: Property

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the potential annual savings that will accrue to Network Rail after the sale of its property portfolio to Telereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail will save circa £18.1million annually, in operational costs of the Commercial Estate business.

Large Goods Vehicles

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his call for evidence on last-mile deliveries excludes HGVs.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of range-extended, dual-fuelled HGVs to reduce last-mile emissions in urban environments.

Jesse Norman: The Last Mile Call for Evidence did not exclude HGVs. It sought ideas and evidence on ways of reducing emissions from the delivery of goods during the last mile of their journey, regardless of the size of vehicle used to deliver them. The Call for Evidence is also interested in a wide range of potential technologies for reducing emissions from last mile deliveries. This includes hybrid technologies for commercial vehicles, such as range-extended or dual-fuelled HGVs. The Department will be announcing its response to the call for evidence later this year.

Vehicle Number Plates: Clones

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,  what steps the Government is taking to encourage traffic enforcement teams to check with the DVLA vehicle enquiry service before issuing penalty notices in order to avoid problems caused by potential vehicle license plate cloning.

Jesse Norman: The purpose of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) Vehicle Enquiry Service is to provide some details about the vehicle being checked, for example its licensing status. The DVLA already has existing secure data sharing arrangements in place which are used by the police and local authorities for enforcement purposes. If the registered keeper of a vehicle suspects that their number plate has been cloned, they should contact the police and the authority that issued any disputed penalty notice for investigations to be carried out. The DVLA is also able to issue a new registration number where appropriate.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to introduce a combined form to enable people to notify the DVLA of a change of address for both driving licence and registered vehicle keeper.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently improving the way it holds data and the services it provides to customers. As part of this process the DVLA will provide a new service to notify changes of address covering both driver and vehicle databases. As most customers want to notify changes online, the DVLA will focus on delivering a digital service, with other support and assistance available for those who need it.

Driving: EU Law

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether drivers of goods vehicles who hold UK driving licenses will be required to purchase an International Driving Permit to travel to EU member states after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Government is seeking to ensure that UK motorists can continue to drive in the EU after we have left. The treatment of driving licences will depend on the outcome of the final agreement.  If there is no deal with the EU, both private and professional drivers may need an International Driving Permit, as well as their UK driving licence, to drive in the EU after the UK leaves.

Department for Transport: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There are no staff within the Department of Transport or its agencies, who are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Department for Transport: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There are no staff in the Department for Transport or its agencies, who are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Department for Transport: Working Hours

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the contracted hours are for the highest paid member of staff in his Department.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Senior Civil Servants (SCS) are contracted to work a minimum (over a 5 day week) either 41 or 42 hours, including daily meal breaks for one hour. The new model contract was introduced on the 1st July 2013, which standardised the working hours to 42 hours. This has been applicable to all new SCS staff joining the Civil Service as well as those staff being promoted into or within SCS, from that date forward.

Department for Transport: Staff

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how may staff (a) are employed directly by, (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to her Department.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As at 30th June 2018, the number of staff employed directly, seconded to and working under contract in the Department (including the Central Department and Executive Agencies) is as follows: The number of staff employed directly was 14,510, published in the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable. There were 33 staff seconded to the Department and 361 staff working under contract.

Network Rail: Property

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual rental income was in each financial year since 2010-11 for the Network Rail properties due to be sold to Telereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners.

Joseph Johnson: We do not hold the data in the format requested for 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15. The below table details the income for the Commercial Estate business that Network Rail have exchanged contracts on, for the last 3 years. Year 15/1616/1717/18Property Rental income (£k)68,53173,05880,853Other Income620486407Total Income69,15173,54481,260

Crossrail 2 Line

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the Crossrail 2 independent affordability review.

Joseph Johnson: The Crossrail 2 Independent Affordability Review, chaired by Mike Gerrard, has provided interim recommendations to the Secretary of State for Transport and Mayor of London this summer, including recommendations for further work to ensure the scheme taken forward is affordable. Further work is now being taken forward to inform the next steps for the project and complete the Review. Following the additional work, we expect to publish the findings of the Gerrard Review in due course.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the Govia Thameslink Railway additional industry compensation scheme to cover all part-time workers who travel on a regular basis; for what reasons that scheme covers only part-time workers who commute three days a week; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Department encourages all passengers who experience a delay in their journey to apply for compensation through the Delay Repay compensation scheme. This entitles holders of any ticket type – including passengers who travel less frequently– to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more, whatever the cause of the delay. Additionally, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced on 28 August 2018 an additional compensation scheme for regular travellers who are non-season ticket holders travelling a minimum three days’ return travel in any week during the qualifying period from the most affected stations. This is the first time that a train operating company has extended a special compensation scheme, introduced following a period of severe disruption, to non-season ticket holders. GTR does not have any plans to extend this.

A14: Road Works

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2018 to Question 169126 on A14: road works, what estimate he has made of the delay to work on that road as a result of the archaeological work; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that delay.

Jesse Norman: The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme is on budget and on target to open to traffic by 2020/21 as planned. Highways England have encountered some challenges with the archaeology work schedule, but they have been able to work flexibly to ensure there has not been an impact on the construction programme. Highways England confirm this will not have an impact on the overall scheme budget and will be able to publish final costs once the scheme has completed.

Air Pollution: Heathrow Airport

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether the air quality changes arising from expansion at Heathrow Airport will require the National Policy Statement to be revised.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has assessed the effects of the Government’s 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations, and updated aviation demand forecasts, on the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme’s compliance with air quality limit values. This analysis has informed the Government’s view that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered in compliance with air quality obligations, with a suitable package of policy and mitigation measures. The Department has not seen any further evidence to date which leads the Government to review its position. Following the designation of the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS), it is now down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality effects of the scheme, including during construction, and to put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality effects and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations. In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.

Transport: North of England

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Strategic Transport Plan, published by Transport for the North, if he will make it his policy to support that organisation's plan for rail and road investment.

Joseph Johnson: Transport for the North conducted a public consultation on its draft strategic transport plan between January and April of this year. It has been analysing the responses and is preparing a final version of its plan. The Government is providing active support to Transport for the North towards its aim to produce a final plan which is both ambitious and realistic.

Cycling: South East

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Infrastructure Commission's report entitled Running Out of Road: Investing in cycling in Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford, published in July 2018, if he will meet hon. Members representing Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge to discuss (a) investment in cycling infrastructure in those cities and (b) that report.

Jesse Norman: These issues have already been helpfully discussed in the Gilligan Report on Cycling and Walking in Oxford and Cambridge debate on Tuesday 4 September. But I would be happy to take part in such a meeting.

Dangerous Driving

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Office on hit-and-run collisions in (a) Coventry and (b) England.

Jesse Norman: Enforcement of road traffic collisions is a matter for the Police. More widely, in June the Government announced its intention to deliver a more strategic approach to preventing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The Department for Transport is developing a two-year action plan which will focus on four priority user groups – young people, rural road users, motorcyclists and older vulnerable users. A refreshed road safety statement will also be informed by early lessons from the new road collision investigation pilot - a £480,000 partnership between police forces and the RAC Foundation to trial an innovative approach to road collision investigation, carrying out more in-depth, qualitative analysis of the underlying causes of road safety incidents in order to get a better understanding of what is really causing collisions on UK roads.

Taxis

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its response to the report of Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haque's task and finish group on the taxi and private hire industry, published in September 2018.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on regulatory reform of the taxi and private hire industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, a Government response will be issued in due course. Legislation to reform the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles will be brought forward if required.

Manor Park Station

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the (a) completion of the rebuilding work at Manor Park station to prepare it for Elizabeth Line services and (b) disruption to commuters at that station.

Joseph Johnson: The timeline and progress of the improvement works to Manor Park station are a matter for Transport for London who are managing these works as part of their stations improvement programme.

Railways: Operating Costs

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for higher rail operating costs in the UK than in Europe.

Chris Grayling: The Government has recently announced a comprehensive Rail Review to be independently chaired by Keith Williams. The Review will recommend how the UK Rail sector can deliver better services for passengers, whilst improving its financial sustainability. A definitive, comparable measure demonstrating higher rail operating costs between the UK and Europe is not available. But we do need to ensure that the investment going into the UK’s railways is efficiently used, and costs controlled. Alongside this, the Government is continuing to use the current periodic review process, which sets Network Rail’s funding and outputs for 2019-24, to robustly challenge Network Rail’s efficiency, including by supporting the strong efficiency challenge on infrastructure costs by the independent Office of Rail and Road.

Air Pollution

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on implementing the findings of the Joint Select Committee Report into Air Quality, in relation to aligning climate change schemes, urban planning, public transport and fiscal incentives with air quality goals.

Jesse Norman: Air quality is managed across a range of policy areas led by several departments, which are continuing to address this important issue. The primary focus in the short term is on bringing forward compliance with legal limits for NO2 concentrations, and stakeholders from seven departments take part in the coordinated implementation and governance of the NO2 Plan. The principle cause of these emissions is transport, and that is why the Defra-DfT Joint Air Quality Unit continues to lead this work. A Ministerial Oversight Group for air quality is in place to ensure a coherent approach across Government, and gives ministers from Defra, DfT, DHSC, MHCLG and HMT direct oversight of the delivery of the Plan.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the recommendations of the legal working group set up to consider the application of the national minimum wage to seafarers.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Whilst Department for Transport lead on this policy, BEIS have overall policy ownership of National Minimum Wage. I intend to meet with the new Minister shortly and my officials are regularly liaising with BEIS officials to ensure smooth progression of this policy. The recommendations will be published following the conclusion of those discussions.

Department for Transport: Staff

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) men and (b) women are employed at grade 7 in the London pay area in his central Department; and how many of each are on the pay (i) minimum and (ii) maximum for that grade.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of men and women employed at Grade 7 in the central Department for Transport on the London pay scale as at September 30th, 2018, including those at minimum and maximum pay for the grade, is outlined in the table below.  At minimum pay for gradeAt maximum pay for gradeTotal staff at all payNumbers of female staff10630232Numbers of male staff12470341Grand Total230100573

East Coast Main Line: Rolling Stock

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Azuma trains planned for the East Coast Main Line are appropriate for that line.

Joseph Johnson: The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) is a government-led investment to deliver new trains onto the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Mainline. The specification of the trains was developed to deliver the outcomes the Department wanted to achieve with the new fleet, including more passenger seats, reduced journey times and increased reliability. This specification included an extensive, award winning consultation process involving numerous passenger groups representing commuters, cyclists, wheel chair users and visually impaired travellers. Ahead of introduction of the new trains, there is a comprehensive programme of testing to demonstrate the trains can run safely on the line. The Department along with Hitachi Rail Europe (HRE), Network Rail (NR) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are working together to bring these trains into passenger service as soon as possible. The full benefits of this programme will be delivered once the full fleet is in service.

Level Crossings: Formby

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the need for safety improvements at the Fisherman's Path rail crossing in Formby.

Joseph Johnson: Level Crossing safety is a matter for Network Rail, as the primary duty-holder for Britain’s railway infrastructure. Network Rail have assessed Fisherman’s Path rail crossing in Formby and have implemented a number of safety improvements in the last year, including the repositioning of the vehicle and pedestrian gates, the resurfacing of the foot crossing, the introduction of clearer markings on the approach roads, and the installation of new fencing. Network Rail are continuing to collect data on the use of this crossing, and will continue to assess the level of risk over time.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.

Chris Grayling: The government has now published 106 specific technical notices to help businesses, citizens and consumers to prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no-deal scenario, this includes 14 DfT notices. These are available on the gov.uk website.

Airports: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to improve the provision of services at airports for passengers who use British Sign Language.

Jesse Norman: The Government has put passengers at the centre of the development of the Aviation Strategy. The Government recognises that it is important for the needs of all passengers, including those with less obvious disabilities such as hearing loss, to be addressed by airports. Assistance for passengers with this and other hidden disabilities will be considered as part of the work on the strategy. The Government will build on the good work of the Civil Aviation Authority, which in 2016 introduced a new regulatory framework designed to ensure passengers with hidden disabilities get the assistance they need at airports, followed by an initial report in 2018 on airport enhancements as a result of the new guidance.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Data Protection

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what risk assessment his Department has made of third party access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's registered keeper database in cases where the third party (a) uses that information themselves and (b) provides that information to another company.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has robust measures in place to protect the data it holds. The release of DVLA’s data is subject to a formal assessment to ensure that there are adequate policies, procedures and technical controls in place to protect it. Data Protection Impact Assessments are completed to identify and address any privacy risks and ensure that personal data is only processed in compliance with the law. Recipients of vehicle keeper information must handle the data in accordance with clear terms and conditions. Where recipients pass the information onto another company, there must be a formal contract in place to provide assurance over the use and security of the data. The original recipient retains overall responsibility for the use of the data by its sub-contractors. The DVLA carries out its own comprehensive audits, involving both remote and on-site audits in conjunction with the Government Internal Audit Agency. This helps to ensure that information provided by the DVLA is used only in accordance with its terms and conditions. Failure to comply can result in denied access to the information.

Department for Education

Sex and Relationship Education

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral statement of 19 July 2018, Official Report, column 615 on Relationships and Sex Education, to which case law he was referring when he said that a right for parents to withdraw their child up to 18 years of age is no longer compatible with English case law or the European convention on human rights.

Nick Gibb: With regard to the parental right to withdraw their child from sex education, we have proposed regulations that are compatible with the law as it now stands. The case law in relation to a child’s competence to make their own decisions has evolved over time. This is shown, for example, in the 2006 case of R (Axon) v Secretary of State for Health. The draft regulations and associated guidance are currently subject to consultation. They include our proposed approach to the right for children to be withdrawn from sex education. The consultation closes on 7 November, and can be accessed via this link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/.

Schools: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase core funding for schools.

Nick Gibb: This year the core schools budget has increased to £42.4 billion and will rise further to £43.5 billion in 2019‑20. This increase follows the additional £1.3 billion announced last year, over and above what was promised at the last Spending Review, which is being provided by prioritising front-line spending within the Department’s budget.This means that funding for the average primary school class this year is £132,000, which is £8,000 more in real terms than in 2008. The same children will receive on average £171,000 when they move to secondary school, a real terms rise of £10,000 compared to a decade ago. Figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show that real terms per-pupil funding in 2020 for five to sixteen year olds will be more than 50% higher than it was in 2000.Funding after 2019-20 will be determined at the next spending review.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the research report, Evaluation of the first year of the national roll-out of 30 hours free childcare, commissioned by his Department and published on 11 September 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: As with the independent reports from the early delivery of 30 hours, the department will use evidence from the evaluation report to inform and support the future delivery of 30 hours free childcare.More than 340,000 children benefitted from a 30 hours place throughout the first year of delivery. The year one evaluation found that 30 hours is making a real difference to family finances, with 78% of parents reporting they had more money to spend since taking up the offer.We have just announced a year extension to our contract with the delivery contractor, Childcare Works. We will continue to work with them to disseminate the learning from the evaluation report to local authorities and childcare providers.

Slavery: Victims

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of granting all survivors of modern slavery rights to education through the National Referral Mechanism.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Home Office is responsible for setting criteria used by the National Referral Mechanism, in identifying victims of human trafficking or modern slavery. The Department for Education is responsible for setting the criteria for accessing 16-19 and adult (19+) education funding based on education policy. These criteria are set out in funding rules, which further education providers refer to when assessing eligibility. Depending on individual circumstances, some survivors of modern slavery may meet the eligible criteria and are therefore able to access further education. Officials keep these rules under review. All children of compulsory school age in the UK, including those freed from modern slavery, are able to access an English state-school.

Teachers: Standards

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to review his Department's guidance entitled Teacher's standards.

Nick Gibb: The Teachers' Standards guidance was published in July 2011, in advance of the revised Teachers’ Standards, which were introduced from 1 September 2012. The guidance was revised in June 2013. There are no current plans to review the guidance.

Teachers: Standards

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department takes to ensure that Work Support Programmes for teachers follow the objectives set out in those teachers' appraisals.

Nick Gibb: It is for schools to determine how best to ensure that developmental objectives are reflected in the appraisal process.The Department’s response to the consultation on ‘Strengthening QTS and Improving Career Progression for Teachers’ in May 2018 committed to strengthening the support offered to teachers at the early stages of their career and beyond. This includes strengthening the induction of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) through the introduction of a new Early Career Framework and improving the provision of mentoring. To support teachers throughout their careers, the Department has committed to reconvening the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Expert Group to explore how high quality CPD for teachers can be increased.An announcement was made on 8 October 2018 as part of Opportunity North East, committing £12 million to an early roll-out of this package of enhanced career support for NQTs in the North East. Schools in the North East will be able to benefit from this enhanced provision from September 2020, ahead of implementation to other regions from September 2021. Further details on this will be announced as part of the Department’s upcoming announcement on Recruitment and Retention later this year.

Donors: Health Education

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of including (a) organ donation, (b) blood donation and (c) stem cell donation in the statutory guidance relating to Health Education for secondary school pupils.

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is take to ensure that young people are made aware of the benefits to society of signing-up to be an (a) organ, (b) blood and (c) stem cell donor.

Nick Gibb: The national curriculum includes substantial content that can inform pupils about organ, stem cell and blood donation. Pupils are taught about the function of the heart, blood vessels and blood as part of Key Stage 2 science, and about stem cells as part of Key Stage 4 science. The national curriculum is compulsory in state maintained schools, and is often used as a benchmark by academies.The Government is proposing to introduce compulsory Health Education, alongside Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and is currently consulting on draft regulations and draft statutory guidance on the subjects. Under the topic of physical health and fitness, the draft guidance sets out that pupils should know the facts about wider issues such as organ and blood donation.The Department hopes as many people as possible will contribute to the consultation, which closes on 7 November, will consider feedback through this process, and may revise the guidance following analysis of the findings.

Schools: Transport

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has held with colleagues in the Department for Transport on the impact of (a) reductions to and (b) the closure of rural bus services on the ability of children and young people to get to (i) schools and (ii) colleges.

Nick Gibb: As the provision of home to school transport is arranged by local authorities, the Department has not had any discussions with the Department for Transport about reductions or closures of rural bus services or transport to schools and colleges.The Department recognises the particular challenges that rural local authorities face. Central government funding for home to school transport is made available through the local government finance settlement from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The Department worked closely with MHCLG on their fair funding review to better reflect the needs of local authorities.

Teachers: Pensions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost to schools of increasing the employer contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in each of the next five fiscal years.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will meet the cost of increasing the employers’ contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 11 October 2018



The estimated cost to state funded schools will be approximately £830 million in 2019-20 financial year and approximately £1.1 billion in each of the three following financial years until the next valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, which is due in 2022-23 for implementation in financial year 2023-24.The Department intends to fund state-funded schools and further education providers for these costs for financial year 2019-20, and will be consulting to understand the effects on other sectors. Funding from 2020-21 onwards will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.The Department will also consult on whether any funding should be provided to other employers within the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.The Government Actuary’s Department is finalising the valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme – based on the directions published by HM Treasury – and all figures are subject to change based on the final valuation.

Sex and Relationship Education: Homosexuality

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's consultation on draft regulations, statutory guidance, and regulatory impact assessment relating to Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, which opened on 19 July 2018,  for what reason his Department is providing discretion to schools on whether they teach same sex relationships in the regulations being consulted on.

Nick Gibb: The Department is making Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory in all secondary schools and Health Education compulsory in all state-funded primary and secondary schools.A guiding principle of the subjects is that teaching will start from the basis that pupils, at age appropriate points, need to know the laws on relationships and sex to ensure they act appropriately and can be safe. The draft guidance is also clear that there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships.As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools will have flexibility over how they deliver this content; and, in the case of schools with a religious character, in accordance with their faith. All schools must comply with the Equality Act.The Department hopes as many people as possible will contribute to the consultation, which closes on 7 November.

Teachers: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press Association of Colleges' release entitled AoC update on college pay, published in July 2018, if he will he take steps to close the £7000 a year pay disparity between teachers working in further education colleges compared with their counterparts in schools.

Anne Milton: The further education (FE) sector – including FE colleges – has a different legal status and relationship to the government when compared with schools. FE colleges are private sector institutions, independent of the government. It is for individual FE employers to agree local pay structures with unions, based on local needs.The department values all of our teachers and leaders in FE who change lives for the better. Since 2013, we have invested over £120 million in the FE workforce, including investing in workforce development through the independent Education and Training Foundation (ETF).Having enough highly-skilled FE teachers in place to deliver high-quality, work-relevant skills training is essential, particularly for the successful delivery of T Levels and apprenticeships. This is why we have committed up to £20 million to help providers, teachers and leaders prepare to deliver T Levels. This includes launching Taking Teaching Further, a £5 million programme to attract industry professionals to teach in FE.FE providers help to make sure people have the skills they need to get on in life, which is why we have protected base rate funding for 16 to 19 year olds until 2020. However, we acknowledge that FE faces cost pressures. This is why the department has been actively engaging with the sector to look closely at how we fund providers to ensure that the system supports sustainable, high-quality education. We will be looking carefully at these issues in the Spending Review.

T-levels

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the benefits of extending T-levels to 19-23 year-olds; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: T Levels will be two year, full time study programmes of up to 1800 hours. We are introducing them for 16-19 year olds initially, and will consider whether they could also be suitable for some adults in due course.In our manifesto, we also pledged to introduce a National Retraining Scheme. The National Retraining Scheme is an ambitious, far-reaching programme set up to drive the adult learning and retraining that will deliver the skills that individuals need to thrive. It was also set up to support employers to adapt as the economy changes.The Chancellor recently announced funding of £100 million for the National Retraining Scheme. This funding will help us to roll out the initial elements of the scheme, delivering parts of the service to the public. It will also allow us to substantively test, evaluate and learn as we build the service. In addition to the National Retraining Scheme, apprenticeships are available to learners of all ages.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children access 30 hours childcare in maintained nursery schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: In January 2018, 8,882 three and four-year-old children benefitted from extended early education in maintained nursery schools. This information is published in Table 3LA of the 'Provision for children under 5 years of age, January 2018' statistical publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2018.

Suicide: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children living in social care died by suicide in each year since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.Figures on looked after children who died in each year can be found in Table D1 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017 but the cause of each death is not collected.The number of reviews of child deaths with a category of ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’ for the year ending 31 March 2017 is given in Table 4 of the statistical release ‘Child death reviews: year ending 31 March 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-death-reviews-year-ending-31-march-2017 but this is not limited to looked after children.We recognise that this is a very serious issue, and we are piloting new approaches to the assessment of mental health needs that looked-after children receive on entry to care – ensuring that their individual needs are understood and at the centre of the process. Up to 10 sites across the country will benefit from a share of £650,000 to deliver this scheme. The expression of interest for pilots went live 24 September and the deadline for applications is set for noon 19 October. We welcome the appointment of Jackie Doyle Price as suicide prevention minister.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to close the £760 per student funding gap identified in the report of October 2018 by London Economics on understanding the funding shortfall in sixth form education.

Anne Milton: The London Economics report on funding in sixth form education for the Sixth Form College Assocation includes an assessment of the cost of widening the curriculum for students. All 16 to 19 providers, including Sixth Form Colleges, have a vital role to play in making sure young people have the skills they need to get on in life, and we are currently considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector, and assessing how far existing funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of delivering quality further education. We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until 2020 and our commitment to the 16 to 19 sector has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships. However, we are aware of the funding pressures and will continue to look carefully at funding for the sector in preparation for the next Spending Review.

Further Education: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the validity of the findings of the Institute for Fiscal Studies 2018 annual report on education spending in England that funding for further education has been reduced more than other areas of education since 2010.

Anne Milton: The Institute for Fiscal Studies report uses published data on funding and student numbers to derive a trend in real terms expenditure per student. Their report shows that funding for school pupils aged 5 to 16 will be more than 50% higher in real terms per pupil in 2020 than in 2000. The government chose to prioritise pre-16 schooling because that is absolutely fundamental to later learning and achievement.We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until 2020. Our commitment to the 16 to 19 sector has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships.We are investing in the sector to support providers to deliver the new T level qualifications from 2020. This will mean an additional £500 million every year once they are fully rolled out. We recently announced a further £38 million for the first wave of T level providers to invest in equipment and facilities to support the roll-out of T levels.We are currently considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector and assessing how far existing funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of delivering quality further education.

Engineering and Physics: Vocational Guidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make a comparative assessment of the effect on the take up of careers in (a) engineering and (b) physics by (i) women and (ii) men of the (A) Highers system in Scotland and (B) A-Levels in England and Wales.

Nick Gibb: As education policy is devolved, issues relating to qualifications in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly respectively. The Government is committed to growing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills needed for a dynamic and modern economy, including those needed for careers in engineering and physics. Both mathematics and physics are important qualifications to have in order to pursue careers in engineering and physics. STEM A levels have been reformed to make them more rigorous and to better prepare students for further study at university. Published 2017 data shows that there has been an 18% increase in the number of entries to STEM A levels by girls, and an 17% increase in the number of entries by boys since 2010. To ensure that more young people are developing the skills needed for careers in engineering and physics, the Department is investing in programmes to increase the take-up of maths, by incentivising schools using the recently launched advanced maths premium, and providing support to schools to improve progression to physics A level through the Stimulating Physics Network. The Government’s careers strategy has committed to improving information and guidance for STEM careers. The Department is raising awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications offer, to inform young people and enable them to choose the career path that is right for them.

Carers: Education

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support young carers with their education in the (a) North East of England and (b) UK.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is committed to supporting young carers; to improve their health and wellbeing, and to protect them from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities that can impact on their education. In June, the cross-government Carers Action Plan, a two-year programme of tailored work to support unpaid carers of all ages, was launched: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carers-action-plan-2018-to-2020. Section 3 sets out the government’s actions specifically to support young carers. This includes plans to improve: identification of young carers; educational opportunities and outcomes; access to support and services; and transition for young adult carers. In delivering on these commitments, together with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education is currently inviting bids to undertake a review of best practice in identifying young carers. This action builds on significant changes to the law through the Children and Families Act 2014, to improve how young carers and their families are identified and supported.

Adult Education: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 133046 on adult education: finance, whether the WEA will continue to be funded nationally for a period of two years after the devolution of the Adult Education Budget.

Anne Milton: From 2019/20 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be responsible for commissioning and funding Adult Education Budget (AEB) provision for learners resident in those areas, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will be responsible for funding provision for learners resident in non-devolved areas.The exception to this are providers, which meet the following criteria, which will be funded nationally by the ESFA for a transitional period of two years (academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21) following devolution of the AEB:Qualify for a residential uplift for their learning provision, andReceive more than two thirds of their income from the AEB, andPredominantly target their provision at the most disadvantaged in society.We considered an additional period of two years of national funding would be in the learners’ best interests, in order to avoid destabilising provision to vulnerable learners and to allow time for MCAs to better understand the specialist nature of the provision they deliver. Further information is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/helping-providers-understand-implications-of-aeb-devolutiondelegation-from-2019-to-2020.The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) does not meet the above criteria and from 2019/20 will be eligible to receive its AEB funding from MCAs/GLA for learners resident in those areas, and from the ESFA for learners resident in non-devolved areas. The ESFA wrote to AEB providers in June 2018, including the WEA, to explain how AEB allocations for 2019/20 for learners resident in non-devolved areas will be calculated, in order to help their planning for devolution.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the potential effect of the end of transitional funding on the number of maintained nursery schools in England.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained nursery schools (MNS) make an important contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. In recognition of the costs that MNS experience over and above other providers, we are providing supplementary funding - additional to funding received under the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF), of around £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect MNS pre-EYNFF funding levels at least until 2019-20.Decisions about what happens after that will be taken as part of the next Spending Review and informed by research we are carrying out on the value that MNS offer.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Growth Hubs: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Growth Hubs in supporting women in the East Midlands who want to (a) start and (b) grow a business.

Kelly Tolhurst: The network of 38 Growth Hubs across England provides free and impartial advice to anyone wishing to start and a grow a business. At March 2018, Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East Midlands reported that since launch their Growth Hubs have supported over 36,500 businesses; of which 3,835 received intensive support. Furthermore, East Midlands Growth Hubs have helped over 2,000 entrepreneurs start their own business since launch. Across the UK, there are now 1.1 million women-led small and medium-sized businesses and I want to see that number grow. Access to finance is key area that can support that aim and I am pleased to report that the government-supported Start-Up Loans Company has provided loans worth nearly £436 million to those wishing to start a business, of which nearly 40% have been given to female entrepreneurs at March 2018.

Small Businesses: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support micro-enterprises in Wallasey constituency.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to supportsmallbusinessgrowth in (a) Merseyside and (b) Wirral.

Kelly Tolhurst: Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure that we are using all the tools we have to support business growth in places such as the Liverpool City Region boosting productivity and ensuring an economy that works for everyone. We are helping small businesses grow through access to detailed advice and guidance on GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. We have already invested £12 million in the 38 Growth Hubs inthe Local Enterprise Partnership areas providing tailored advice to businesses across England. We are providing a further £24m to continue funding Growth Hubs for the next 2 years. The Liverpool City Region Growth Hub, which covers Wirral and the Wallasey constituency, has supported over 15, 632 businesses and helped 3,500 individuals to start a business. In February 2017, through the government-owned British Business Bank (BBB), we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund to give small businesses in the North access to finance to help them start-up and grow. 40 investments or loans have been made in the Liverpool City Region worth £8m with two investments made in the Wallasey constituency, totalling £350, 000. The Regional Growth Fund which was established to help create jobs and businesses grow has contracted £97.2m to businesses in the Liverpool City Region helping to create or safeguard 11,264 jobs. Of this £8.4m has been contracted to businesses in Wirral supporting 188 jobs. In addition, we have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in North West projects to boost local economies. We will invest £332m in Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership area creating 15,400 jobs. This will support projects such as the Wirral Metropolitan College Extreme Low Energy Project and a number of improvements to the key route networks in your constituency.

Trade Associations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to write to all trade associations on issuing guidance to their members on planning for the UK leaving the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Richard Harrington: The Government is engaging widely with its stakeholders, including trade associations, to help businesses to plan for all scenarios including a ‘no deal’ EU exit. We have published over 70 technical notices describing the changes businesses and citizens could need to make in a ‘no deal’ scenario. We have worked closely with stakeholders including many trade associations as part of this process.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Written Statement HCWS540, how much of that funding he has allocated to (a) programmes, (b) administration and (c) staffing in his Department.

Richard Harrington: As set out in Written Statement HCWS540, HMT allocated BEIS a supplementary £185.1m for EU exit work in the financial year 2018/19. Of this total allocation, £106.7m has been budgeted for programme and capital spend. £78.4m has been budgeted as administration spend, of which £57.3m has been budgeted for staff within BEIS. BEIS will keep these budgets under review over the course of the financial year.

Fracking: Climate Change

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of shale gas extraction on the UK’s ability to meet its climate change targets.

Claire Perry: The Government believes that shale gas has the potential to be a home-grown energy source which can lead to jobs and economic growth, contribute to our security of supply, and help us achieve our climate change objectives. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has considered whether shale gas production at a significant scale can be compatible with the UK’s carbon budgets, and has conducted that it can if certain conditions are met, which they have set out as three “tests”. These are: Methane emissions from shale gas production are minimised and monitored.Gas consumption remains within carbon budget limits.Any additional shale gas emissions are offset by reductions elsewhere in order to meet carbon budgets. We believe that our robust regulatory regime and determination to meet our carbon budgets mean those tests can and will be met. As such, we welcome the conclusions, and also the CCC’s belief that shale gas could make a useful contribution to UK energy supplies. We welcome the recent publication of the IPCC’s special report on 1.5ºC. It sets out the strong case for pursing efforts to limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as set out in the Paris Agreement, and reiterates that current global efforts are not enough to meet this unprecedented challenge. The UK’s way forward is set out in the Clean Growth Strategy and we have committed to asking the Committee on Climate Change for advice on our long-term targets in light of this new evidence.

Insulation: Preston

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2018 to Question 136214 on Insulation: Preston, how many properties in the Fishwick area are awaiting emergency efficiency retrofit work to be carried out and when this work is expected to be completed.

Claire Perry: All the emergency energy efficiency retrofit work required in the original 62 properties identified was completed in Summer 2018. All retrofit work was carried out in accordance with building regulations, including the fire safety and ventilation requirements. Analysis has been undertaken on the basis of the work on the first properties to estimate the extent of work that might be needed on the other properties. Discussions between Ofgem, BEIS and energy suppliers continue regarding securing funding for further work.

Electric Vehicles: Sales

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he he made of the number of electric vehicles that were sold in the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of cars sold in the UK in each of the last three years that were electric vehicles.

Richard Harrington: The following table contains data on the number of vehicles registered for the first time in the UK, covering the last three years from 2015 – 2017. These figures are taken from the DVLA database.  201520162017Number of electric vehicles11,75912,38315,928Proportion of cars that were electric cars0.4%0.4%0.5%

Carillion: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the joint report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Work and Pensions Committees on Carillion, published on 9 May 2018, HC 769, whether the Government is taking steps to tackle the practice of discounting invoices and Early Payment Facilities as used by Carillion; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government is clear that standard payment terms beyond 60 days are not acceptable in the great majority of cases, and that businesses should not have to pay any fee or offer a discount in order to be paid on time. The Carillion scheme of 120-day payment terms for many of their suppliers was unacceptable.The Government’s existing policies will aim to help foster a culture change and ensure small businesses are empowered to challenge unfair payment practices. We recognise there is a need to go further to protect businesses from the culture of late and unfair payment, which is why we launched a call for evidence to seek views and experiences on the impact of unfair payment practices and proposals for measures to create a more responsible payment culture. The call for evidence will close on 29 November.

Employment: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to close the employment rate gap between the North East of England and the rest of the UK.

Kelly Tolhurst: The North East LEP Growth Deal is providing £379m to the North East LEP, to support the delivery of their Strategic Economic Plan, with its focus on more and better jobs. This has resulted in 67,000 more people in employment in the area than in 2010, and unemployment is at its lowest level for 20 years. We continue to work with the LEP in the development of an ambitious Local Industrial Strategy, designed to increase both the quantity and quality of jobs in the North East.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Occupational Pensions

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of 12 December 2017, Official Report, column 171, when he plans to publish the equality impact assessment on the planned increase in the State Pension Age for members of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Richard Harrington: The equality analysis will be published in due course.

Horizon 2020: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of withdrawing from Horizon 2020 on higher education funding in the North East.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position UK and EU negotiators are continuing to make progress towards finalising the draft Withdrawal Agreement. Once concluded, the Withdrawal Agreement would mean that UK entities would continue to have the right to participate in and bid for funding in current EU programmes, including Horizon 2020, and to receive EU funding for the lifetime of the projects. In the event of a no deal scenario the Government’s underwrite guarantee will cover funding for successful competitive bids to Horizon 2020 submitted before exit day. In July 2018 the guarantee was extended to cover all successful competitive bids by UK entities to Horizon 2020 calls open to third country participation submitted between exit day and the end of 2020. The guarantee will apply for the lifetime of qualifying projects, even where this extends beyond 2020.

Small Businesses: Finance

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve access to finance for small businesses in (a) Kettering and (b) England.

Kelly Tolhurst: Improving access to finance is the mission of the Government-owned British Business Bank, which addresses gaps in the finance market through guarantees, debt and equity finance. The bank is currently supporting around £5.2 billion of finance to almost 75,000 businesses across the United Kingdom, including through British Patient Capital, a £2.5bn fund for long-term equity investment.From March 2012 to July 2018, the Start-Up Loans initiative delivered more than 57,000 loans across all parts of the UK, lending a total of £436 million and contributing to the creation of more than 56,600 jobs. Over the same period, 49 start-up loans with a total value of £366,644 were awarded to entrepreneurs in Kettering.Access to invoice finance is an issue for many small businesses, because of terms in commercial contracts that prohibit or restrict them from assigning the value of their invoices. I have recently introduced regulations to ensure that any such contractual restrictions entered into after 31 December 2018, with certain exceptions, would have no effect and could be disregarded by small businesses and finance providers. This new measure is expected to provide a long-term boost to the UK economy worth almost £1billion.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.

Kelly Tolhurst: We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. We have already published over 100 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use.

Fuels: Prices

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of people who will see a reduction in their fuel bills as a result of the price cap in the Wolverhampton North East constituency.

Claire Perry: The Department collects tariff data on households based on the 14 geographical, Public Electricity Suppliers regions. As such the department cannot provide estimates at a lower, local level.Parliament has passed legislation to introduce the energy price cap, protecting up to 11 million households on standard variable and default tariffs. Ofgem are consulting on a price cap, which will save some consumers up to £138.

Amazon: Working Conditions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Amazon on working conditions of Amazon employees.

Kelly Tolhurst: My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister commissioned the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices to consider modern working practices and whether they need to change to keep pace with modern business models. In our response to the review, we committed to firm action and future legislation where appropriate. We are currently analysing the responses and will respond in due course. BEIS Ministers regularly engage with businesses in the the retail sector, including Amazon, to discuss a range of issues including quality of work.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Overseas Aid

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of reports that humanitarian access to conflict areas of the Kachin region has been systematically blocked by (a) the armed forces and (b) the Government of Myanmar.

Mark Field: ​The UN HRC resolution that was passed on 27 September has asked for immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including to areas controlled by ethnic armed groups, in particular in Kachin State. We continue to impress on the Burmese Government the importance of open access to all parts of Burma, including access to the press, to stop the fighting and allow access for humanitarian aid.

Nigeria: Christianity

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations (a) his Department and (b) agencies of his Department have made to the Government of Nigeria on the ongoing systematic violence against Christians in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government is taking every opportunity to raise our concerns over intercommunal violence between farming and herding communities at senior levels. The Prime Minister raised the issue with President Buhari during her recent visit to Nigeria and the Foreign Secretary raised the subject when he wrote to the Foreign Minister in August. The British High Commission in Abuja has also raised the issue with the Vice President and with the governors of affected states.Our assessment is that the root causes of violence are disputes over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water, and it is important that efforts to address the violence focus on this challenges.

Ukraine: Aviation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the achievement of justice for the victims of flight MH17 of the alleged computer hacking by the Russian military of the investigation into that incident.

Sir Alan Duncan: Holding answer received on 12 October 2018



Prime Minister May and Prime Minster Rutte have issued a joint statement condemning the aggressive pattern of behaviour of the Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) and reaffirming our commitment to constrain their hostile activity. We are building a strong understanding of the GRU's activities in our countries, shining a light on them and exposing their methods. After the Salisbury attack, over 150 Russian intelligence officers, many serving with the GRU, were expelled from the UK, 27 countries and from NATO. As the Prime Minister has made clear, we are deploying the full range of our national security capabilities against the threat posed by the GRU. Further measures to counter wider malign state activity are now being carried forward through the G7, NATO and the EU.We have not made a specific assessment of the impact of the GRU's activity on the achievement of justice for the victims of flight MH17. However, all organisations involved in the criminal investigation and the process of establishing international responsibility in this case are aware of the threat from cyber attacks. The UK will continue to offer its support to the efforts of the Joint Investigation Team, the Dutch and Australian authorities and other grieving nations, to deliver accountability for this terrible act and justice for all those who died. The interests of the families of the 10 British victims remain foremost in our minds.

Thailand: Elections

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Thailand on free and fair elections in that country.

Mark Field: Holding answer received on 12 October 2018



We continue to follow political developments in Thailand closely. We expect national elections to be held in early Spring 2019 in accordance with the timetable published by the Thai Election Commission, although an exact date has not yet been announced. We have regular dialogue both at Ministerial and official level with the Thai authorities urging them to hold credible elections in line with international standards as soon as possible, and to lift restrictions on political freedoms in order for the elections to be conducted in a free and open environment. The Prime Minister raised this in her meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in June.​

Thailand: Freedom of Association

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Thailand on the freedom of assembly and association in that country.

Mark Field: Holding answer received on 12 October 2018



We continue to have regular dialogue both at Ministerial and official level with the Thai authorities urging them to lift restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly in place since the coup in 2014. We have raised concerns about the use of legislation including the Computer Crimes Act, Sedition and Defamation laws to stifle free speech and the work of human rights defenders. Most recently our Ambassador to Thailand raised these concerns with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Prajin Juntong.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Pakistan on (a) the case of Asia Bibi and (b) concerns about blasphemy laws.

Mark Field: We remain deeply concerned by the misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, and the fact that religious minorities are disproportionately affected. The harsh penalties for blasphemy, including the death penalty, add to these concerns.We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level; and we have urged them to take steps to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy laws. The Minister for the Commonwealth and the UN discussed our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018. I raised discrimination against religious minorities with the Ministry of Human Rights during my visit to Pakistan in November 2017. We will continue to press the new Government of Pakistan to adhere to its international obligations and uphold the rule of law.We remain deeply concerned about Ms Bibi's case. The British High Commission in Islamabad monitor developments in her case closely, including the decision of the Supreme Court to reserve its 8 October 2018 judgement.The UK supported the EU statement of October 2014 expressing strong concern at the decision of the Lahore High Court to uphold the conviction against Ms Bibi. We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure our views are made clear to the Pakistani authorities.

Yemen: Arms Trade

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to support the statement of the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at the meeting on Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen on 25 September that third party nations should cease the transfer of weapons if there is a clear risk of violations of international law.

Alistair Burt: We keep export licensing to all destinations under constant review, including in light of military action by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen. As set out in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, the Government will not issue an export licence where we assess that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Jamal Khashoggi

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi counterparts on the disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Alistair Burt: On 9 October, the Foreign Secretary and I met the Saudi Ambassador to the UK. He expressed grave concerns about Mr Khashoggi's disappearance and emphasised the need to establish the facts, to support a thorough Turkish investigation and to share the findings. The Foreign Secretary has also spoken with the Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir to express his concerns.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi counterparts on the proposed imposition of capital sentences on (a) Israa al-Ghomgham and (b) four other human rights activists in that country.

Alistair Burt: We understand that Israa al-Ghomgham has another trial session scheduled for the end of October. We are closely monitoring Ms Ghomgham's case and those of other activists. We continue to raise our concerns on human rights with the Saudi authorities in private.

Jeanette Moustache and Nesta Moustache

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the (a) proposed deportation of Jeanette Moustache in 2020 and (b) prospective deportation of Nesta Moustache in 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Deportation from the UK is a matter for the Home Office.

Ilois: Resettlement

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the citizenship status of third-generation Chagos Islanders resident in the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: British citizenship is a matter for the Home Office. As set out in their departmental response to the Home Affairs Select Committee report of 3 July about the Windrush generation, which mentions Chagossians, the Home Secretary is currently considering this matter.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2018 to Question 163140, what progress his Department has made on that consideration; and when the Chagos Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages is planned to be publicly available.

Sir Alan Duncan: The status of the Chagos Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and where they may ultimately be deposited, is still under consideration as part of the department's ongoing programme of records appraisal. To put this in context, there are around 600,000 non-standard files held the in the FCO Archives, along with around the same number of standard departmental files. FCO Archives Management Team has a rolling programme of considering these files for transfer to The National Archives (TNA), which is based on an agreed prioritisation.

Privy Council: Hamas and Hezbollah

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has been notified of any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not been notified of any meetings between members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.

India: Diplomatic Service

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's annual spend on consular services in India was in each of the last five years.

Mark Field: The full costs attributed to providing consular services fluctuate from year to year depending on the overall cost to Government of operating the overseas network and how these costs are shared amongst the different Government Departments and FCO services using the platform. The full costs attributed to providing consular services in India for the last five years were: Financial YearSpend (to the nearest £)2017-18£2,789,0012016-17£2,517,0642015-16£3,145,7302014-15£4,116,1272013-14£2,460,504

India: Diplomatic Service

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many departmental personnel were assigned to consular service roles relating to Indian casework in each of the last five years.

Mark Field: ​We currently have 19 staff in India assigned to consular service roles, of whom two are British diplomats. Staffing numbers for consular services have remained steady across the consular overseas network during the last five years. Our Consular staff in India are supported by colleagues in the High Commission and Deputy High Commissions, and specialist colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.

Privy Council: Hamas and Hezbollah

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on meetings between members of the Privy Council and (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold any information on any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas and Hezbollah.

Jamal Khashoggi

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the statements made by the Turkish Government that the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was either murdered at, or abducted from, the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are very concerned by the reports of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. These are extremely serious allegations. We are working urgently to establish the facts, both with international partners and the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Sri Lanka: Crimes against Humanity

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Human Rights Council meeting in October 2015, whether it remains the Government's policy that Sri Lanka establishes a hybrid accountability mechanism with the involvement of international judges and prosecutors in order to deal with outstanding allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mark Field: ​We continue to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to implement in full its commitments under UN Human Rights Council Resolutions 34/1 and 30/1 these Resolutions recognised the importance of a credible accountability process for those most responsible for violations and abuses, and called for the participation in this process of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorised prosecutors and investigators.

Raif Badawi

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made on the case of Raif Badawi during his discussions with the Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs on 9 October 2018.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Saudi authorities, including at senior level. The British Government remains extremely concerned about the case of Raif Badawi. We understand the case is still under consideration in the Saudi Supreme Court.

Cameroon: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the presidential elections that took place in Cameroon on 7 October 2018 (a) were conducted in a free and fair manner and (b) produced a legitimate result.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The African Union's Election Observation Mission found that the elections were conducted in a relatively orderly manner in most of the country, but violence affected polling in the Anglophone regions. The result is due to be announced between 15-22 October. On 8 October I issued a statement making clear that the UK was concerned by reports of violence and casualties on polling day in Anglophone regions, and by how difficult it was for citizens to vote there. I called on all parties to follow proper procedure for tallying results and exercise restraint.

Cameroon: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the English-speaking community in Cameroon who were unable to participate in the presidential elections on 7 October 2018 in that country due to violence or the threat of violence.

Harriett Baldwin: Our preliminary assessment is that only about half of the registered electorate nationwide turned out to vote. The figure for the Anglophone Regions is likely to be much lower as a result of population displacement and fears about insecurity or intimidation by armed groups following a call to boycott the election.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that captured British suspected Islamic State fighters in north-east Syria are held securely for the rest of their lives; and what plans he has in relation to those fighters in the event of a Turkish invasion.

Alistair Burt: The British Government is committed to making sure that individuals who have joined Daesh and committed these crimes face justice. Where there is evidence that crimes have been committed, foreign fighters should be brought to justice in accordance with due legal process, regardless of their nationality. The appropriate process will depend on the individual circumstances.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.

Sir Alan Duncan: We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. The Government has already published over 100 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a 'no deal' scenario. These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use.

Omar al-Bashir

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the potential adoption of measures by (a) the UN Security Council and (b) the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court in response to the referral by that court of the Government of Jordan as a result of its non-compliance with the court’s outstanding warrant for the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan.

Alistair Burt: The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber's (PTC) finding of non-compliance against the Government of Jordan, and its referral of the matter to the UNSC and the Assembly of States Parties, is subject to appeal. In September the ICC's Appeals Chamber heard Jordan's appeal against last December's PTC finding of non-cooperation for its failure to arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir, when he attended an Arab League Summit in Amman in March 2017. The Appeals Chamber has not reached a decision yet. Once a decision is made, the UN Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties will consider a response, if appropriate.

Cabinet Office

Directors and Managers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men worked in managerial, director and senior official occupations in (i) private sector and (ii) the public sector in each Combined Authority geographical area in each of the last 15 years.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men worked in managerial, director and senior official occupations in the (i) private sector and (ii) public sector in England in each of the last 15 years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and a copy would be desposited in the Librabry of both houses.



UKSA response 
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Directors and Managers: Average Earnings

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay of (i) women and (ii) men working in managerial, director and senior official occupations on a (A) annual gross and (B) hourly excluding overtime basis in the West Midlands Combined Authority area in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay was of (i) women and (ii) men working in managerial, director and senior official occupations in the private sector on a (A) annual gross and (B) hourly excluding overtime basis in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
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Civil Servants: Career Development

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have been internally promoted (a) temporarily and (b) permanently without competition in the last three years; and what proportion of those civil servants were (a) women and (b) BAME.

Oliver Dowden: The Civil Service Management Code is clear that all promotions and lateral moves within the Civil Service must be based on merit. Data is not currently gathered centrally on promotions (either temporary or permanent), and it is therefore not possible to compare the experience of ethnic minority or female civil servants.

Disability: Politics

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on trends in the level of (a) political participation and (b) civic engagement by disabled people.

Chloe Smith: The Government does not collect data on levels of political participation and civic engagement in relation to disabled people or any other group. In December 2017, the Government published its Democratic Engagement Plan which set out our strategy to promote democratic participation amongst all groups, including disabled people. This included plans for National Democracy Week, which took place in July this year and included activities and events run by our partners from a number of civil society organisations, such as RNIB, Mencap and Scope. On 30 August 2018, the Government published the response to its Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. This includes actions to address barriers and further support disabled people to participate in elections. The Cabinet Office is also leading further work to make the electoral registration and elections systems more accessible to people with disabilities. This includes the development of an easy read guide which sits on the Register to Vote Website and provides support on the online application process.

Government: ICT

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of cyber specialists vacancies in Government.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office does not hold figures on the number of vacancies across HMG. Departments are responsible for ensuring adequate staffing levels are met. As part of the National Cyber Security Strategy we have established a central team to develop the security profession, supporting departments in managing their cyber skills gaps and building career pathways for specialists.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Crown Servants living outside the UK for more than 15 years were able to vote in the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU in 2016.

Chloe Smith: Crown servants are entitled to be registered for all UK elections and have to submit a Crown Servant declaration with their application. They are not subject to the current fifteen year rule provision for overseas electors. Crown servants could vote in the EU Referendum.

Public Sector: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on ensuring that all Government suppliers are signatories of the Prompt Payment Code.

Oliver Dowden: In 2015 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) strengthened the Prompt Payment Code. The majority of government’s strategic suppliers are signatories to the Code and payment practices of government’s largest suppliers are regularly monitored to ensure that they are in line with the aims of prompt payment policy. While the Prompt Payment Code is voluntary, any new strategic supplier to Government is encouraged to sign up. In addition, BEIS have recently launched a call for evidence seeking views and experiences on the impact of late and unfair payment practices. This closes on 29 November and a link to this is below:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-responsible-payment-culture-a-call-for-evidence-on-tackling-late-payment.

Public Sector: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of the 32 biggest suppliers to the Government have met the commitment to pay 95 percent of invoices within 60 days; and how many such suppliers have met the voluntary agreement to adopt 30 days as the norm.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data on payment practices and terms is requested from the 32 largest suppliers to Government before awarding further public sector contracts; and how many contracts have been withheld pending satisfactory evidence from such suppliers.

Oliver Dowden: In 2017, the government introduced legislation that requires the UK’s largest businesses to report on a half yearly basis on their payment practices, policies and performance. All information must be published on Gov.uk. This can be viewed at the following link: https://check-payment-practices.service.gov.uk/search Public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in new public sector contracts; and require that this payment term be passed down the supply chain. At the pre-qualification stage of any procurement, it is the responsibility of contracting authorities to ensure that contracts are awarded to appropriate suppliers according to the required payment terms.

Public Sector: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has there been of the effectiveness of the Crown Commercial Service Mystery Shopper scheme; and what steps the Government is taking to proactively promote that scheme to suppliers.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers have reported within the Crown Commercial Service Mystery Shopper scheme evidence of (a) instances of late or unfair payment and (b) other poor procurement practice in public sector contracts; how many suppliers have been investigated as a result of the Mystery Shopper scheme; and what the outcomes of those investigations have been.

Mr David Lidington: The Mystery Shopper service, introduced in 2011, allows suppliers to report poor procurement practice. Nearly 1500 cases have been received to date and, of the total cases closed during 2017-18, 99% resulted in positive change. Statutory powers introduced in March 2015 now require contracting authorities to co-operate with the service.Lists of issues raised and the results of cases investigated so far under the Mystery Shopper scheme are published regularly on Gov.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mystery-shopper-results

Shareholders

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population who own shares in (a) the UK and (b) Feltham and Heston constituency.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
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Government Digital Service: Staff

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2018 to Question 173616, for what reason information on the gender balance of staff in the Government Digital Service is not available.

Oliver Dowden: Information about the workforce of my department, including diversity statistics, is published as part of this Government's transparency commitment and I refer the honourable member to those sources of information, which can be found at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics . It is not the policy of my Department to publish information about individual business units within the Department.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary is for a cyber security specialist employed by the government.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office does not hold centrally information on salaries of cyber security specialists across HMG. However, the Government Security Profession will deliver a Profession Framework outlining the job families, career pathways for specialists and their pay and rewards, by the spring 2019.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: France

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the letters sent to British pensioners residing in France by Caisse Nationale de l'Assurance Maladie informing them that their access to French healthcare system ends on 29 March 2019.

Stephen Barclay: The Withdrawal Agreement provides that reciprocal healthcare should continue until the end of the Implementation Period (until 31 December 2020) and provides longer-term rights for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. The United Kingdom Government has made good progress in negotiations on the Citizens’ Rights section of the Withdrawal Agreement. This will provide reassurance regarding healthcare cover to the many UK nationals who have made their lives in other European Union countries. The UK Government remains focused on securing a broader agreement with the EU on reciprocal healthcare rights as part of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It has made clear the White Paper of June 2018, ‘The Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union’, that it is seeking agreement on reciprocal healthcare cover for state pensioners retiring to the EU or the UK, continued participation in the European Health Insurance Card scheme and cooperation on planned medical treatment. The UK Government is confident that getting a good deal that works for both the EU and the UK is, by far, the most likely outcome. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, as a responsible Government we are preparing for every eventuality and, in the absence of a deal, we are considering a range of contingency plans. We plan to ensure that the safety of both UK and EU patients is protected in all scenarios, including no deal.

NHS: Digital Technology

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the risks of mobile applications are assessed by NHS Digital for inclusion in the NHS Apps Library.

Matt Hancock: Mobile applications are assessed initially via a clinical review within NHS England to establish whether the app fits with National Health Service values and can evidence benefit to the users of the app. Following this, apps are taken through a comprehensive assessment which takes into account relevant regulation, legislation, national standards and best practice to ensure that developers of apps understand their obligations and can evidence that their products conform with these.

Brineura

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is no national service specification for ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2).

Steve Brine: The NHS England service specifications for Metabolic disorders (children) and Metabolic disorders (adults) both include ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2). These can be found on the NHS England website at the following links: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e06-metab-disorders-child.pdf https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e06-metab-disorders-adult.pdf

Air Pollution

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent research he has consulted to formulate policy related to the effects on health of PM (a) 2.5 (b) 1 and (c) 0.1.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what method his Department uses to assess the effects on health of emissions of PM (a) 2.5 (b) 1 and (c) 0.1 from waste incinerator sites.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the release of dioxins by waste incineration sites on people's health.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on the safe limit for public health of inhalation of (a) PM 0.1, (b) PM1 and (c) PM2.5.

Steve Brine: The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) has assessed the effects of particulate air pollution on mortality in the United Kingdom. The latest reports are available to be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/comeap-reports Public Health England (PHE) estimated the mortality burden in 2010 associated with long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution at local authority level. The report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimating-local-mortality-burdens-associated-with-particulate-air-pollution COMEAP assessed the evidence on long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants (mainly particulate air pollution) and chronic bronchitis and respiratory symptoms. Although no separate assessments of the impact of the PM1 and PM0.1 fractions of particulate air pollution have been produced, PM1 and PM0.1 are included within the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions, on which assessments are usually based. COMEAP is currently assessing the effects of air pollutants on dementia and cognitive decline. Research projects into the health effects of air pollution in two Health Protection Research Units, in which PHE is a partner, focus on various areas including health impact assessments of nanoparticles. There is also a COMEAP report on the mechanisms by which air pollutants affect cardiovascular health due to be published later this year. PHE’s position is that well run and regulated modern Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern MWIs make a small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. When consulted, PHE provides an expert and independent opinion to the regulator (Environment Agency) on the potential impacts on human health of emissions arising from existing or proposed regulated facilities, such as MWIs. PHE will comment on the applicants’ risk assessments and how they demonstrate the installation’s impacts on human health, and when requested, any additional modelling and assessments conducted by the Environment Agency for chemicals and radiation including particulate matter and dioxins, providing health advice that is clear, concise and based on best available evidence and expert judgement. This assists the regulator in making decisions on whether or not to grant permits to regulated facilities. Guidance on PHE’s role in environmental permitting is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477277/Environmental_permitting_guide_Nov_2015.pdf PHE has reviewed the evidence on the effects of waste incinerators on human health including the effects of dioxin. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-to-air-impact-on-health Available studies have not identified a threshold concentration below which there is no association between exposure to particulate air pollution and adverse health effects. The European Union Limit Value for PM2.5 (annual mean of 25 µg/m3) that the UK must comply with is included as an air quality objective in the national Air Quality Strategy available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-environmental-quality/2010-to-2015-government-policy-environmental-quality

Mental Health Services: Staff

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whatcomparative estimate he has made of the number of mental health staff employedin the NHS in Wirral (a) 2010 and (b) 2017.

Matt Hancock: The information is not available.

Community Health Partnerships

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Community Health Partnerships will be making a submission to the development of the long-term plan for the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has asked National Health Service leaders to produce a new ten-year plan for the NHS, underpinned by a five-year funding settlement which will see the NHS budget grow by over £20.5 billion a year in real terms by 2023-24. As it develops the long-term plan, the NHS has been engaging with system leaders, patients and the public for their views including through a consultation which closed 30 September. Community Health Partnerships has not made a formal submission but instead works closely with its NHS partners to ensure the funding, design and utilisation of its healthcare facilities features appropriately in all future development plans.

NHS: Subsidiary Companies

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the approval criteria for applications for NHS bodies to form wholly-owned companies will be applied retrospectively.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Improvement will shortly consult around the regulatory approach of National Health Service bodies setting up subsidiaries and expects to report its outcome later this year. Further detailed guidance will be issued following the consultation, including the scope of the regulatory approach.

NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultation his Department is planning ahead of making a decision on the distribution of dividends from NHS LIFT Companies.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued on how dividends from NHS LIFT Companies should be spent.

Stephen Barclay: The identification and distribution of dividends is a matter for each National Health Service Local Improvement Finance Trust Company and is set out in the Shareholder Agreement and/or Dividend Policy which is agreed from time to time by the Directors of each Company. Payment of Dividends is subject to the performance of the companies and their obligations to their debt funders. Community Health Partnerships (CHP) is 100% owned by the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care. CHP manages the public investments in LIFT Companies and receives all dividends payable in respect of its shareholding of up to 40%. CHP’s board, on which the Secretary of State is represented by a Shareholder Director, is responsible for determining how this investment income is to be spent and no dividends have been paid to date to the Secretary of State. All income from dividends and investments due to CHP in the 49 NHS LIFT Companies is currently reinvested in the NHS whether through:- meeting the costs of managing those investments;- part funding the running of the company and the direct costs of managing the LIFT portfolio of assets thus reducing charges to tenants; and- supporting Departmental initiatives to benefit the wider NHS such as the Strategic Estates Planning service.

NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships: Staff

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on aligning the staff, roles and responsibilities of NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships into a regional structure alongside NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships operate throughout England. The two companies work closely with building occupiers, tenants, NHS clinical commissioning groups, sustainability and transformation partnerships and National Health Service England and NHS Improvement regional and national teams with the objective of ensuring their healthcare estate and facilities is fully utilised and delivers value for money for the NHS. NHS Property Services deliver services locally and works out of 16 hub site offices; in many cases, these are co-located with NHS England or NHS Improvement teams. Community Health Partnerships delivers services through a regional field-based property and asset management team.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Strategic Transformation Partnerships have developed and agreed a local strategic estates strategy.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Strategic Transformation Partnerships' local estates strategies have been published.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has provided on the requirement for consultation on the development of Strategic Transformation Partnerships' local estate strategies.

Stephen Barclay: All 42 sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) have produced an estate strategy articulating key estates issues and priorities in their STP area and outlining plans for transformation of clinical services to better meet the needs of patients. The Department does not intend to publish or oversee the publication of these documents. It is for individual STPs to decide on how best to communicate the content of their strategies externally. It is expected that STPs’ estate strategies will continue to evolve in line with individual STPs’ clinical plans and following feedback provided by national organisations. Commissioners and providers have a duty to undertake public engagement and involvement on a continuous basis and guidance issued by NHS England and NHS Improvement to STPs stated that estate strategies should demonstrate that there has been thorough consultation and participation from all partners.

Eating Disorders

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 165490 on Eating Disorders, if he will make it his policy to introduce waiting time targets for adults with eating disorders.

Matt Hancock: This Government recognises that early intervention is vital and is committed to ensuring everyone with an eating disorder has access to timely treatment based on clinical need. There are no current plans to introduce a waiting time standard for adults with an eating disorder.

Mental Illness: Children and Young People

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children and young people have been admitted to accident and emergency in hospitals in London because of mental illness in each year since 2015.

Matt Hancock: The data is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of funds allocated for mental health treatment by NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups; and what steps his Department takes to ensure that such Trusts and Groups use such funds efficiently and effectively.

Matt Hancock: The Mental Health Investment Standard requires clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to increase mental health investment in line with overall growth in their allocations. The guidance noted “Each CCG must meet the Mental Health Investment Standard (MHIS) by which their 2018/19 investment in mental health rises at a faster rate than their overall programme funding. CCGs’ auditors will be required to validate their 2018/19 year-end position on meeting the MHIS”. It is for CCGs to plan on how these funds should be deployed to develop mental health services locally. NHS England recently published an updated Mental Health Five Year Forward View dashboard, which brings together key data from across mental health services to measure the performance of the National Health Service in delivering our plans to improve mental health services. The dashboard provides the greatest transparency ever in how the NHS is performing, alongside detail on how mental health services are funded and delivered at CCG level. As such it gives a good indication of the effectiveness with which the increased finds are translating into improved services. The dashboard can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/ Further detail on funding and investment tracking can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/

Mental Illness: Prescription Drugs

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK maintains an adequate supply of antipsychotic medications in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: We understand that antipsychotic medications are vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans include sensible mitigations for medicines that come to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union, such as precautionary stockpiling by suppliers, to ensure that the supply of antipsychotics and other essential medicines to patients is not disrupted.

Stem Cells: Donors

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage (a) men aged 16-30 and (b) people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds to register as stem cell donors.

Matt Hancock: Young people play a pivotal role in the stem cell landscape. Research has identified that younger donors offer the potential for better patient outcomes and a greater chance of survival. In 2017, 82% of people who donated their stem cells were male, and 58% were men aged 30 and under. In acknowledgement of this fact, the Department provides funding to Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to support recruitment of young male donors. In 2017 69% of new potential donors recruited to the United Kingdom registry were under the age of 30, and 40% of new potential donors were male. The Department also funds Anthony Nolan and NHSBT to improve equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic (BAME) patients through targeted recruitment to the Anthony Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry. The Department has provided more than £26 million to NHSBT and Anthony Nolan for stem cell donation since 2011 and have set very specific targets about the proportion of donors that must be from BAME backgrounds; for example, in this financial year, Anthony Nolan will continue to target more than 35% of the umbilical cords stored in the UK Cord Blood Bank to be donated by mothers from BAME backgrounds.

Health Services: Sheffield

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to support the recruitment of employees by health services in Sheffield in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: We do not want or expect a no deal scenario. As a result of the significant progress made in negotiations, we remain confident we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with the European Union. We are not, however, complacent, and have plans in place in the event the United Kingdom leaves the EU with no deal. These plans are comprehensive, thorough and continuously updated. We have been clear from the beginning of this process that we want EU nationals currently working in the National Health Service, to stay after we leave the EU. We will be working with NHS and social care employers across Sheffield as well as the whole of England to ensure their EU employees are aware of the straightforward and user-friendly EU settlement scheme which will allow them to secure settled status in the UK and enjoy broadly the same rights and benefits as they do now. This offer will stand irrespective of whether a deal is reached by the time the UK leaves the EU. We have also introduced a range of measures to support increased recruitment and retention across the health and care system, including national recruitment campaigns that illustrate the diverse and fulfilling career opportunities available in the NHS and social care.

Prescriptions: ICT

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to commence the roll out of electronic prescribing medications systems.

Steve Brine: Work is already underway to accelerate the roll-out electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems across the NHS in England. Capital funding of £75 million over three years has been allocated to support this roll-out, with £16 million available in 2018/19. Trusts were invited to submit bids to be included in wave 1 of the roll-out in July 2018, and successful applicants were informed during at the beginning of October 2018. Further bids will be invited for wave 2 funding in January 2019 for award in the subsequent financial year.

Multiple Births

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the data collected by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in its National Maternity Perinatal Audit  on (a) good and (b) poor care in twin pregnancies.

Matt Hancock: According to the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA), the majority of its measures are restricted to data available on singleton, term births. The NMPA have stated that it plans to analyse a set of key measures for preterm and multiple births and to publish this separately. We will then consider how these data might inform its policies for improving maternity safety. The latest MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Mortality Surveillance Report noted that between 2014-2016 twin stillbirths reduced by 44% and neonatal deaths fell by 30%. These falls are statistically significant and the largest fall among any population since records began.

Hospitals: Waste Disposal

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals in England have their own clinical waste facilities.

Stephen Barclay: There are three hospital sites that own onsite clinical waste incineration facilities, Addenbrookes, Plymouth, and Wolverhampton.

Hospitals: Waste Disposal

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans his Department has put in place to ensure excess clinical waste is disposed of safely.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has worked with NHS Improvement and NHS England to put in place a new contract for National Health Service trusts so that clinical waste is removed from sites and disposed of safely. It is the responsibility of the Environment Agency to oversee clearance of the sites with the company. The Department is working closely with the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the plans for site clearance.

Hospitals: Waste Disposal

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has put in place contingency plans in the event of the collapse of a contractor dealing with clinical waste.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has put in place a new waste management contract to ensure that waste will be collected from National Health Service sites in the event of a collapse of a contractor dealing with clinical waste.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £200 million allocated to the Cancer Transformation Funding, how much funding each Cancer Alliance (a) received in (i) 2017-2018 and (ii) 2018-2019; and (b) how much such funding remains outstanding.

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Cancer Transformation Fund, when he plans to publish the provisional allocation of the £29.7 million of capital expenditure classified by NHS England as not yet approved.

Steve Brine: NHS England is allocating £200 million transformation funding in 2017/18 and 2018/19 to support Cancer Alliances to deliver improvements in faster and earlier diagnosis and quality of life for people living with a cancer diagnosis. Over £72 million was released in 2017/18 to support Cancer Alliances to transform cancer services. A further £9 million went to Greater Manchester to support its Cancer Alliance, as part of a devolution agreement. For 2018/19, the allocation for each Cancer Alliance is as follows:Cancer AllianceTotal Funding (£)Northern6,991,000West Yorkshire and Harrogate5,410,000South Yorkshire3,445,000Cheshire and Merseyside5,552,000Lancashire and South Cumbria3,307,000Humber, Coast and Vale3,764,000Greater Manchester14,500,000West Midlands18,103,000East Midlands8,842,000East of England16,094,000Thames Valley5,369,000Kent and Medway2,301,000Surrey and Sussex3,128,000SWAG5,084,000Peninsula3,179,000Wessex7,282,000South East London2,764,000RM Partners12,048,000UCLH Cancer Collaborative11,130,000Pan-London2,832,000TOTAL141,125,000 The figures above include both the revenue and capital funding allocated to each Alliance.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the performance data for the Cancer Alliances.

Steve Brine: Data and information from across the cancer pathway – including screening, diagnosis, treatment and patient experience – is shared with Cancer Alliances by our new Cancer Alliance Data, Evidence and Analysis Service. This is the first time this data has been brought together in this way to enable evidence-based decision-making for service transformation. The grid of information for Alliances will shortly be available and updated monthly on the Public Health England National Cancer Registration and Analytical Service website.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to undertake an assessment of the value for money of cancer transformation funding.

Steve Brine: Data on Cancer Alliance delivery is being collected on a quarterly basis. This will enable an assessment to be made of the impact of the investment that the Alliances are making across the country. We will publish a progress report on delivery of the Cancer Taskforce report shortly.

Mental Health Services: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged under 18 in (a)  Dulwich and West Norwood constituency, (b) the London borough of Lambeth and (c) the London borough of Southwark have applied but failed to meet the threshold for child and adolescent mental health services treatment in each of the last five years.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what proportion the number of child and adolescent mental health services referrals have increased in (a) Dulwich and West Norwood constituency and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 21 of the Education Policy Institute's report, Access to children and young people's mental health services - 2018, published in October 2018, if he will make an assessment of the implications for policies of the finding that there was no or limited follow-up involving the CAMHS providers of referrals including cases involving self harm.

Matt Hancock: Where a local National Health Service children and young people’s mental health service rejects a referral, the young person or their carers should be signposted to appropriate support elsewhere, as not all referrals are appropriate for NHS specialist help. We are increasing access to NHS services and aim for an additional 70,000 children and young people a year to receive access to specialist mental health treatment by 2020/21, and we have put the first waiting time standards in place for children and young people’s mental health.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding of the recent Royal College of Psychiatrists survey that patients are waiting up to 13 years to receive the treatment they need.

Matt Hancock: People should not have to wait long periods of time for access to mental health treatment and services. That is why NHS England introduced access and waiting time standards for mental health services including for psychological therapies and for people experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Performance against waiting time standards is published quarterly in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard. This is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/ Improving mental health services is a priority for the Government which is why we are supporting the Five Year Forward View for Mental health with additional funding of £1 billion to 2020/21. The Prime Minister has asked the National Health Service to develop a long-term plan over the next 10 years to meet future challenges and has been clear that improving access to mental health services should be a key element of that plan, to be published later this year.

Mental Health Services: Detention Centres

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the mental health of women held in detention centres in the UK.

Matt Hancock: The only immigration removal centre for women in England is Yarl’s Wood in Bedfordshire and women are not held in other immigration removal centres.

Nurses: Training

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to introduce the payments for postgraduate pre-registration nursing students  announced by the Minister of State for Health on 9 May 2018.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to administer the golden hello payments for postgraduate pre-registration nursing students.

Stephen Barclay: Further to the announcement of 9 May, these payment incentives will be available for future postgraduates nursing students who complete courses funded by loans in the 2018/19 academic year. Payments will be made to these graduates once they take up in employment in the health and care sector in England in mental health, learning disability or district nursing. Working with the National Health Service and the university sector, the Government is finalising the most effective way to administer and introduce the scheme and will set out details in due course.

Asthma: Medical Equipment

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many asthma inhalers have been issued (a) in England and (b) in each region to (i) adults and (ii) children in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: The number of prescriptions prescribed in England and dispensed in the community for drugs that are indicated for the treatment of asthma are shown in the attached table. Information is not available by age. These drugs may also be prescribed for conditions other than asthma. The sum of the data for all National Health Service England Regions does not equal the total England figure, because the total England figure includes unidentified doctors and it is not possible for NHS Business Services Authority Prescription Services to allocate to an NHS England region.



PQ177343 attached table
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Mental Health: Older People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the costs of social loneliness and isolation in elderly people to the economy; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets regularly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss a range of policy issues. Loneliness is an issue that affects many in our society and tackling loneliness can help to address social isolation. The Department of Health and Social Care fully supports a Government-wide approach to tackling loneliness led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Government’s Loneliness Strategy was published on 15 October 2018 and will be its first step in tackling the long-term challenge of loneliness.

Dental Services: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dental practices in Coventry that have availability for NHS patients since 2010.

Steve Brine: Data is not held on the number of dental practices in Coventry that had availability to take on new patients since 2010. Practices holding contracts with the National Health Service to deliver primary care dentistry take on new patients as and when they have availability. This data is not held centrally in the format requested.

Eating Disorders

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which clinical commissioning groups do not commission specialist eating disorder services for people aged 18 and over (a) in the community and (b) as in-patient services.

Matt Hancock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sepsis: Death

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the number of sepsis-related deaths in hospital of lifting the restriction on nurses carrying iodine.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring pharmacists to keep a fixed stock of iodine to help reduce the number of sepsis-related deaths in hospitals.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has not made an assessment of these issues.

Mental Health: Students

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet the Secretary of State for Education to discuss mental health in universities.

Matt Hancock: The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education continue to work closely on the needs of all young people, including university students. The University Mental Health Charter announced in June 2018 is backed by the Government and led by the sector, and will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. The Charter, which will reward institutions that deliver improved student mental health outcomes, will develop in an iterative process, shaped by co-production with students, staff and partner organisations. Prospective students and their families will be able to identify providers who have succeeded in achieving the standards of the University Mental Health Charter.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he plans to publish the report of the 2016 Survey of the Mental Health of Children and Young People.

Matt Hancock: The Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey is expected to be published this autumn.

Hospitals: Waste Disposal

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support hospital trusts which had contracts with Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd to find alternative clinical waste disposal options.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has worked with NHS Improvement and NHS England to put in place a new contract for National Health Service trusts so that clinical waste is removed from sites and disposed of safely.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Healthcare Environmental Services

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value was of contracts held by Wirral University Trust with Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd.

Stephen Barclay: Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust does not hold a contract with Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd.

Hospitals: Waste Disposal

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of on-site clinical waste facilities at hospitals.

Stephen Barclay: There are three hospital sites that own onsite clinical waste incineration facilities, Addenbrookes, Plymouth, and Wolverhampton. National Health Service Trusts have their own contracts for waste removal. In 2017 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found that there was over 30,000 tonnes of spare operational clinical and hazardous waste capacity.

NHS Leadership Academy

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what courses the NHS Leadership Academy provide for candidates for management positions in the NHS; and what the scope is of those courses.

Stephen Barclay: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September to Question 170653. The NHS Leadership Academy offers a range of leadership development interventions for health and care staff at all levels, including a portfolio of nationally delivered programmes, from entry level to Chief Executive and beyond. The vast majority of interventions are open to all staff, clinical and non-clinical, at the appropriate leadership level, with the exception of some programmes which have been designed for a specific part of the workforce, for example the Clinical Executive Fast Track Scheme for clinicians and the Mary Seacole programme for community pharmacy. In terms of staff aspiring to progress their careers, the NHS Leadership Academy offers several aspirant programmes at different levels – for example the Aspiring Chief Executive programme, the Nye Bevan programme for aspiring directors and the new Rosalind Franklin programme which aims to help clinical or non-clinical mid-level leaders. All of these programmes support more National Health Service staff become outstanding leaders, and in turn help improve patient care, people’s health and their experiences of the NHS.

Fibromyalgia

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure the maintenance of funding for research into the field of fibromyalgia syndrome and its symptoms.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including fibromyalgia; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. NIHR support for fibromyalgia research over the last five years includes £1.8 million funding for research projects; £0.6 million funding for clinical trials through the NIHR Clinical Research Network; and the NIHR has managed infrastructure supporting fibromyalgia research. Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at the following link: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/

Fibromyalgia

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the clinical guidelines on the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome to ensure clearer treatment pathways for people with that syndrome.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to raise awareness of the condition of fibromyalgia syndrome.

Steve Brine: The Department is not directly responsible for developing or reviewing clinical guidance for identification and management of diseases and disorders. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence was established by the Government to develop evidence based best practice for the National Health Service. Other organisations, such as the clinical Royal Colleges, and charitable organisations also convene expert groups to develop guidance for health professionals. A range of support exists to help general practitioners (GPs) identify and manage fibromyalgia in primary care. This includes an e-learning course developed by the Royal College of GPs and Arthritis Research UK on musculoskeletal care, including fibromyalgia, and a medical guide developed by the Fibromyalgia Association UK (FMUK) for health professionals. People with fibromyalgia can usually be managed through routine access to primary or second care provide via a GP or consultant. Treatment will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but may include pain relieving medication; physiotherapy; dietary and exercise advice; counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy. For patients whose pain cannot be adequately controlled by routine access to NHS services, a referral may be made to a specialist pain service or specialist fibromyalgia clinic, such the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, subject to their having met certain criteria. Information for the public can be found on the NHS website and is also available in a patient’s information guide produced by FMUK. The medical guide, patient information booklet and NHS choice webpage on fibromyalgia can be found at the following links: www.fmauk.org/dmdocuments/Medical%20Pack.pdf www.fmauk.org/information-packs-mainmenu-58/booklet-mainmenu-135/490-patient-booklet www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/

Primary Health Care: Nurses

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to expand the role of qualified nurses in primary care.

Steve Brine: The General Practice Nursing (GPN) Ten Point Plan was launched in July 2017 consisting of £15 million of investment from the General Practice Forward View funding allocation to support actions to address workforce challenges and support improvements in general practice nursing. As part of the implementation of the GPN Ten Point Plan, NHS England has commissioned work to set out the core capabilities of nursing advanced clinical practitioners and this framework will provide a solid foundation for nursing staff to broaden their scope of practice in the future. As of March 2018, there were 491 more full time equivalent nurses working in general practice compared to September 2015.

Mental Health Services

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to improve the delivery of mental health services.

Matt Hancock: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health sets out 58 recommendations for transforming mental health services in England, all of which have been accepted by the Government. The Five Year Forward View is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mental-Health-Taskforce-FYFV-final.pdf The plan is supported by an extra £1 billion for mental health services to be spent between 2017 and 2021. Key steps for implementing the plan are set out in Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf

Mental Health Services: Homelessness

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide access to mental health services for homeless people.

Matt Hancock: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Public Health England, and NHS England on provision of both mental and physical health services for rough sleepers to inform national priorities and local commissioning decisions. The Government is committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and ending it by 2027. Our Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August 2018, includes proper consideration of the needs of those with mental illness. As part of the Rough Sleeping Strategy, we are testing models of community-based provision designed to enable access to health and support services for people who are sleeping rough. This will include services to support people with both mental ill health and substance misuse issues.

Influenza: Vaccination

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of flu vaccines for (a) people over 65 years of age and (b) children; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Officials are continuously monitoring the supply of the flu vaccine. General practitioners and other providers are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccines for adults. This winter those aged 65 and over are being offered a newly licenced adjuvanted trivalent vaccine, Fluad which is intended to offer better protection than the vaccines offered previously to this age group. There is no shortage overall but deliveries from the manufacturer are being staggered to providers during September to November. Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu programme, so that eligible children are offered either the nasal spray Fluenz Tetra or an inactivated flu vaccine for those children for whom Fluenz Tetra is unsuitable. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to ensure there is equitable distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccine for patients who present throughout the season.

Influenza: Vaccination

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of people over 65 years of age who have received the free flu vaccination for winter 2018 in (a) England and (b) Merseyside; and when the majority of those eligible will have received it.

Steve Brine: In 2018/19, deliveries of the adjuvanted vaccine to providers will be staggered during September to November. The first provisional weekly flu vaccine uptake data in 2018/19 for those aged 65 and over was published on 11 October 2018. It shows that 21.8% had received flu vaccine by 7 October 2018 – data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-national-flu-reports-2018-to-2019-season Figures for Merseyside are not available in the format requested. By December, uptake is expected to have reached similar levels to previous seasons.

Influenza: Vaccination

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which companies supply flu vaccine to (a) his Department and (b) the NHS for (i) people over 65 years of age and (ii) children; and what proportion of those vaccines are supplied by each such company.

Steve Brine: Public Health England centrally procures flu vaccines for the children’s national flu immunisation programme, these being the nasal spray Fluenz Tetra supplied by AstraZeneca and a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine supplied by Sanofi Pasteur. Flu vaccines for the adult programme are locally procured directly by providers (e.g. general practitioners and pharmacies). Details of all influenza vaccines available for the 2018/19 season, and the age indications are available in the following table. Seqirus supplies an influenza vaccine which is specifically for those 65 years of age and over (Fluad). The volume of vaccines supplied by each pharmaceutical company is not available. Influenza vaccines for the 2018-19 seasonSupplierProduct detailsVaccine typeAge indicationsAstraZeneca UK LtdFluenz TetraLive attenuated, nasal (quadrivalent)From 24 months to less than 18 years of ageGSKFluarix TetraSplit virion inactivated virus (quadrivalent)From six monthsMASTAQuadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (split virion, inactivated)Split virion, inactivated virusFrom six monthsMylan (BGP Products)Influvac sub-unit Imuvac Influenza vaccine MYLSurface antigen, inactivated virusFrom six monthsQuadrivalent Influenza vaccine Tetra MYL Quadrivalent Influvac sub-unit TetraInfluenza virus surface antigen (inactivated)From 18 yearsPfizer VaccinesInfluenza vaccine (Split Virion, inactivated), pre-filled syringeSplit virion, inactivated virusFrom five yearsSanofi Pasteur vaccinesQuadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (split virion, inactivated)Split virion, inactivated virusFrom six monthsSeqirus UK LtdFluadSurface antigen, inactivated, Adjuvanted with MF59C.165 years of age and overSource:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/744508/VU_286_september_2018.pdf Notes:The ovalbumin (egg) content is provided in units of micrograms/ml and micrograms/dose.None of the influenza vaccines for the 2018-19 season contain thiomersal as an added preservative.

Influenza: Vaccination

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on problems with the supply of flu vaccines; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England wrote in February 2018 to general practitioner (GPs) and community pharmacists recommending that they should order the adjuvanted trivalent flu vaccine for those aged 65 years and over for the 2018/19 season. This vaccine is intended to offer better protection than the vaccines offered previously to this age group. There is no shortage overall but deliveries of the vaccine will be phased between September and November. The letter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/vaccine-ordering-18-19-influenza-season-gp-pharm.pdf NHS England issued guidance to assist GP practices and community pharmacists to plan their flu clinics in August 2018. Patients are advised to wait for the most appropriate vaccine. The guidance is available at the following links: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/flu-vaccinations-for-2018-and-planning-flu-clinics-letter-from-david-geddes/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/flu-vaccination-programme-delivery-guidance-2018-19/

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that gluten-free bread and flour is available to Coeliacs on NHS prescription.

Steve Brine: The Government proposed changes to the availability of gluten free (GF) foods on National Health Service prescription in its March 2017 public consultation. The majority of consultation respondents agreed with the option to restrict GF prescribing to certain foods. The Government has proposed to restrict to bread and mixes following feedback from the consultation. Evidence submitted to the consultation showed that patients generally found GF mixes easier to use and gave better results for baking GF items such as bread. Prescribing data also showed that mixes were more widely prescribed to patients than flour alone. This option ensures the best use of NHS resources while maintaining availability of staple GF foods for patients on prescription. Work to implement these changes is underway.

Medical Records

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that primary care providers are compensated by third party representatives for providing copies of patients' medical records where that information is gathered for purposes other than insurance underwriting.

Steve Brine: The implications of the General Data Protection Regulation on general practitioner practices have been raised with NHS England as part of the wider General Medical Services contract review discussions. It would not be appropriate to comment while those discussions are ongoing.

Pancreatic Cancer: Cannabis

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) safety and (b) effectiveness of the use medical cannabis oil in the palliative care of pancreatic cancer patients who have a history of strokes.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether medical cannabis oil will be made available for patients with pancreatic cancer that cannot be treated by other available therapies.

Steve Brine: Earlier this year the Chief Medical Adviser to the United Kingdom Government, Professor Dame Sally Davies, conducted a review in which she examined evidence of the medicinal benefit of cannabis based products. She found conclusive evidence of the therapeutic benefit of cannabis based medicinal products for certain medical conditions and reasonable evidence of therapeutic benefit in several other medical conditions. That review did not specifically address the safety and efficacy of cannabis oil in the palliative care of pancreatic cancer patients who have a history of strokes. As a result of the Chief Medical Adviser’s advice, and that of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the Home Office has laid legislation that means that, subject to Parliament, from 1 November certain cannabis-based products, that meet conditions related to the quality of their manufacture and supply routes, can be prescribed by doctors on the specialist register of the General Medical Council. The regulations do not limit the types of conditions that can be considered for treatment and specialist doctors will no longer need to seek approval from an expert panel in order for patients to access the medicines. Prescription of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use will fall within existing legal requirements and National Health Service governance arrangements for ‘special’ medicines. There are a number of pieces of work in train to support clinicians in making prescribing decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will produce clinical guidance by October 2019. In the meantime, NHS England has commissioned the British Paediatric Neurology Association and the Royal College of Physicians to provide interim clinical advice to specialist doctors ahead of the regulations coming into force.

Department for International Development

Females: Equality

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made by Government Departments on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK played a key role in establishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we are determined to be at the forefront of delivering them - both at home and around the world. All Government Departments have embedded the SDGs in their planned activities, supported by the Single Departmental Plan process. Departments will report progress on their planned activities in their Annual Reports. Furthermore, the Government will present a Voluntary National Review of the UK’s progress towards the SDGs at the UN in 2019. We are committed to an inclusive process, and have launched a website inviting input from people and organisations around the UK. The website can be found at: www.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopmentgoals.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 173559 on Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes, what proportion of that £196 million spent in September 2017 on Caribbean hurricane relief was used to support British Overseas Territories.

Harriett Baldwin: £72m was committed to help the Overseas Territories. This funding delivered the UK Government’s immediate response and support for early recovery priorities in the three affected territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. Further to this, the Prime Minister committed a further £70m for reconstruction efforts and up to £300m of UK Government loan guarantees.

Nigeria: Internally Displaced People and Refugees

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to support Borno refugees and internally displaced persons to return home.

Harriett Baldwin: My department is supporting Refugees and internally displaced persons in Borno to rebuild their lives and return home when it is safe for them to do so. We are providing livelihoods and basic services support throughout the region. In 2017 we ensured 213,000 could plant crops and we are educating 100,000 children affected by conflict. We are concerned by a recent push to return people back to insecure areas in recent months, and are working closely with the Borno State Government to support returns which are voluntary, safe, and sustainable.

Yemen: Malnutrition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason the United Nations High-Level Panel meeting on 25 September 2018, Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen, was closed to the media, and if she will publish a copy of the presentation and briefing given to attendees at the event by UK representatives.

Alistair Burt: The UK hosted a side event at the 2018 UN General Assembly on ‘Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen’ on 25 September, which I chaired alongside UN Agencies. The meeting discussed the worsening malnutrition in Yemen, the challenges, as well a Call to Action to the UN, NGOs and donors to more comprehensively tackle malnutrition. The roundtable did not have media attendance due to the technical nature of the discussion. A statement was released following the event and a finalised Call to Action will be published imminently. I also attended an OCHA- led UN High-Level Panel on the ‘Humanitarian Response in Yemen’ on 24 September. The event highlighted the life-saving impact of humanitarian assistance in Yemen.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Youth Opportunity Fund: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated from the Youth Opportunities Fund to projects in Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years.

Rishi Sunak: The Youth Opportunity Fund was a Department for Education (DfE) programme until 2011, when it was one of several funding streams for children, young people and families to be replaced by the Early Intervention Grant. Responsibility for youth services transferred from DfE to the Office of Civil Society (OCS) in 2013. OCS is now a division of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on right to buy of the large-scale regional pilot in the Midlands of extending the right to buy to housing association tenants.

Kit Malthouse: The Government will undertake a full evaluation of the pilot after its completion.

West Midlands Combined Authority: Pay

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the (a) mean and (b) median pay for (i) women and (ii) men in (A) manager, (B) director and (C) senior official roles in the West Midland Combined Authority (I) annually and (II) hourly excluding overtime.

Rishi Sunak: Data reported by the West Midlands Combined Authority in the 2017 Gender Pay Gap report can be found https://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/employer-%2cl_sDU6aYUIvMHg29cynqaw!!/report-2017

Social Rented Housing: Consultation Papers

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 10 of his Green Paper: a new deal for social housing, Cm 9671, which states that Ministers in his Department met and talked with almost 1,000 residents of social housing at events across England, if he will publish his Department’s analysis of the views that those residents expressed to ensure that Members are aware of the concerns that their constituents raised.

Kit Malthouse: The Green Paper ‘A new deal for social housing’ reflects the views of residents that Ministers met during 14 listening events and a further 7,000 people sending their views online. The key messages from residents are set out in the Green Paper: that we must ensure homes are safe and decent; provide swift and effective resolution of disputes; empower residents to ensure their voices are hear and strengthen the regulatory framework; tackle the stigma faced by residents; and deliver the affordable homes this country needs. The Green Paper is currently out for public consultation, closing on 6 November 2018, and Ministers are holding a further 8 events around the country to engage with social housing residents directly.

Housing and Public Buildings: Defibrillators

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring defibrillators to be installed in (a) new housing developments and (b) new public buildings.

Kit Malthouse: There has been no specific assessment of requiring defibrillators in new housing or new public buildings, but NHS England continues to work to promote the availability of public access defibrillators.

Private Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to meet the demand for longer tenancies for private tenants.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security.We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. And the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.We recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer tenancies in the wider private rented sector and proposed a new longer tenancy model with a minimum of three years. We are currently analysing responses.

Empty Property: Dorset

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties are unoccupied in Dorset; and for how long on average a property has been left unoccupied in that county in the period for which such information has been collated.

Kit Malthouse: For the purposes of council tax base, we collect data on an annual basis on the total number of dwellings classed as empty. We also collect data on the number of dwellings classed as empty and being charged the Empty Homes Premium, and the number of dwellings classed as empty and have been for more than 6 months.Local authority level data as at 2 October 2017 can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-taxbase-2017-in-england.The number of long-term vacant dwellings across England remains lower than when records began.

Local Plans: Housing

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the figures published by the Office for National Statistics on 20 September 2018 on the determination of a suitable housing figure in Local Plans that are currently at Regulation 18 and Regulation 19 stage and have not been assessed by the (a) Government Inspector and (b) Secretary of State.

Kit Malthouse: In the Government response to consultation, published on 24 July 2018, we stated that following September’s release of figures, we would consider revising the outputs associated with the standard method for calculating local housing need to ensure they are consistent with our aims to get more homes built. We will consult on the specific details of any proposed change as soon as possible.The standard method only applies to local plans submitted to the Planning Inspectorate after 24 January 2019. Any plans submitted on or before that date can use their own method for calculating their housing requirement. Where household projections form part of that evidence, the impact of changing projections will need to be considered locally. But this does not automatically mean that housing assessments are rendered outdated every time new projections are issued.

Housing: Construction

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what statistics his Department holds on the (a) construction and (b) maintenance of new accessible (disability-friendly) housing.

Kit Malthouse: The Government does not collect data on the construction and maintenance of new accessible homes built in accordance with the Building Regulations’ Optional Requirements for adaptable and accessible or wheelchair user homes. However, the English Housing Survey collects information on the accessibility and adaptability of all homes, including new homes. The most recent report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2014-to-2015-adaptations-and-accessibility-of-homes-report.

Housing: Disability

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the implications are for his Department's policies of the recommendations of the report, Housing and disabled people: Britain’s hidden crisis, published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in May 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is committed to supporting disabled people and is grateful for all the valuable work of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including its report on Housing and disabled people: Britain's hidden crisis. Government officials have met the Equality and Human Rights Commission, on several occasions, to discuss the report and their recommendations. We are now carefully considering the report and will draw on this work in future policy including how we respond to the independent report on the future of the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Aerials: Planning Permission

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many mobile telephone companies have been given permission to build telephone masts in (a) protected and (b) conservation areas in the last five years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have granted permission for the erection of telephone masts in (a) protected and (b) conservation areas in each of the last five years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have refused permission for the erection of telephone masts in (a) protected and (b) conservation areas in each of the last five years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of applications submitted by Vodafone to erect telephone masts have been refused in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The Department does not hold the information requested. Planning applications for telephone masts are included in the Department’s published figures on planning applications, but the data we collect does not separately identify applications for telephone masts.Details of individual planning applications should be available from the relevant local planning authority.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress his Department has made on introducing mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing landlords from letting properties that are electrically unsafe.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to offering greater protection to tenants and ensuring that people are living in safe and good quality properties.The majority of landlords already take the safety of their tenants seriously. Landlords have their electrical installations checked regularly to identify and eliminate possible hazards unseen by the tenant. Existing legislation already requires landlords to keep electrical installations in their property in repair and proper working order and it is currently best practice for landlords to organise periodic inspection and testing and to provide a report to the tenant.On 19 July 2018, we announced that we will introduce a mandatory requirement on landlords in the private rented sector to ensure electrical installations in their property are inspected every five years. We are working to bring these regulations into force as soon as possible, subject to parliamentary approval and timetable.

Local Government Finance: Genito-urinary Medicine

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much local authorities have spent from the ring-fenced public health grant on sexual health services in each year since 2013.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes local authority expenditure data, including on sexual health services in lines 61, 62 and 63 of the data table ‘RO3 –Social Care and Public Health services’. These lines include spending using ring-fenced public health grant on sexual health services.These data are part of the 'Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing Final Outturn, England' statistics series which is available online at www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingThe relevant data since 2013 can be accessed directly via:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data-outturnwww.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-outturnwww.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2015-to-2016-individual-local-authority-data-outturnwww.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2016-to-2017-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

Housing: Prices

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of rising house prices on the mental health of those seeking to purchase a home.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on matters of mutual departmental interest.I appreciate that a new home is not just the largest monetary purchase most people ever make; it is also one of the largest emotional commitments as people look to provide a safe, good quality home for themselves and their families.I acknowledge that a lack of housing supply is having a real effect on people’s ability to buy a home and that is why the Government is committed to delivering more of the right homes in the right places. 481,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since spring 2010 through Government backed schemes including Help to Buy and Right to Buy. Annual housing supply in England amounted to 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17, up 15 per cent on 2015-16 and the highest level since 2007-08.This Government is committed to transforming Mental Health support. The Prime Minister recently announced a campaign to train a million people in mental health awareness – Every Mind Matters – launched on 9 October with a pilot in the West Midlands ahead of a national rollout next Spring.

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent representations he has received on the effect on the health of the UK population of poor air quality, ventilation, lighting and acoustics in home building; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet the All-Party Group on Healthy Homes and Buildings to (a) discuss the extent of the problems caused by poor quality homes and buildings and (b) assess the steps that are being taken to incentivise home providers and builders to build and retrofit to the highest standards.

Kit Malthouse: The Department regularly receives correspondence on a range of issues with respect to the Building Regulations and matters relating to the indoor environment. I am aware of work that the All Party Parliamentary Group on Healthy Homes and Buildings has been doing in this area and would be happy to meet the group to discuss the issues further.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of social housing.

Kit Malthouse: It is only right that tenants of social housing expect their homes to be safe and decent. In England, all registered providers of social housing must comply with the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes the requirement that they meet all the relevant legal health and safety requirements for the occupants in their homes, and that tenants’ homes meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard and continue to maintain their homes to at least this standard. They must also provide a cost-effective repairs and maintenance service that responds to the needs of, and offers choices to, tenants and has the objective of getting repairs and improvements right the first time.Non-decent homes made up 13 per cent of all social housing in England in 2016 – down from 20 per cent in 2010. We are committed to ensuring that the Decent Homes Standard is demanding enough and delivers the right standards for social housing alongside other tenures. That is why, in our recent Green Paper on social housing, we asked if there are changes to what constitutes a decent home we should consider and if we need additional measures to make sure social homes are safe and decent. The consultation will close on 6 November 2018.In terms of new build, all grant funded affordable housing must meet minimum criteria set by local authorities, and independent authorities in the design and quality of housing.

Planning Permission: Appeals

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning decisions were (a) appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and (b) overturned on appeal in the last year for which information is available.

Kit Malthouse: The requested information is available on the Planning Inspectorate website.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-statistics

Housing Revenue Accounts

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the removal of the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for local authorities.

Kit Malthouse: The Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for local authorities will be removed as soon as possible, with further detail confirmed in the Budget.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the targets for housing (a) starts and (b) completions agreed with Homes England are for the financial years (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2021-22.

James Brokenshire: We do not publish either yearly targets for the Affordable Homes Programme or separate targets for Homes England and the Greater London Authority (GLA). The Government’s £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme is delegated to the GLA in London and Homes England across the rest of England. In total, the programme will deliver 250,000 new affordable homes by March 2022, including at least 12,500 homes for social rent in areas of high affordability pressure.

Social Rented Housing: Mental Illness

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure the social housing system supports people with mental health problems.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 176245 on 11 October 2018.

Local Plans

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the case People Over Wind and Sweetman v Coillte Teoranta (C-323/17), when he plans to issue guidance regarding local plans; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is actively considering the implications of the Sweetman 2 (People Over Wind) judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union. We are working closely with Natural England and Defra, including on how to take forward any external guidance that may be necessary.

Homelessness: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Coventry Council on the provision of funding to reduce homeless in Coventry; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Department has not received any representation from Coventry Council about the provision of funding to reduce homelessness. However, the Department has allocated £157,367 in 2018-19 to Coventry City Council as part of its homelessness prevention programmes.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England to help them provide sites for the Traveller community.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: All local authorities in England can bid for funding to develop Traveller sites from the Government’s £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).The Government’s planning policy for Traveller sites sets out that local authorities should objectively assess their traveller needs and identify a suitable five-year supply of sites.

Housing Ombudsman Service

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average time taken was for the Housing Ombudsman to complete a case in each year since 2009-10.

James Brokenshire: The data available for the period 2012-13 to 2017-18* can be found at the Housing Ombudsman website: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/corporate-information/publications/The data for the period 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-housing-ombudsman-limited-annual-report-and-accounts-2009-to-2010https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-housing-ombudsman-limited-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-to-2011https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-housing-ombudsman-limited-annual-report-and-financial-statements-2011-to-2012In their 2017-18 Annual Report the Housing Ombudsman confirmed its commitment to reducing the average case time for a determination to six months. Additionally, in the Green Paper “A new deal for social housing” we are consulting on options for speeding up the complaints process for social housing residents.*A casework system change occurred at the end of 2013-14 and the reporting issues continued into 2014-15. There is not a complete set of data for these years.

Homelessness

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve outreach services for homeless people.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government announced on 30 March a new Rough Sleeping Initiative team that has direct oversight over the delivery of £30 million in 2018/19 to 83 local authorities, with further funding of £45 million to be allocated in 2019/20.This tailored approach is ensuring interventions are planned on the basis of local need, existing provision and service gaps in each area and that funding is directed to the places where it will have most impact.The types of interventions we are funding include local co-ordination and case management work, increased outreach provision, a range of emergency accommodation options, access routes into more settled accommodation and support to help people engage and sustain accommodation. These interventions have worked in the past, and will work again.To support this, the Government has also funded the London Training Academy to deliver assertive outreach training this Autumn to staff working with rough sleepers across England. The training will seek contributions from practised outreach workers and people with lived experience, sourcing materials including case studies and short films, creating a course that reflects good practice from across England, covering rural and urban areas.The Government is committed to halving rough sleeping by 2020 and ending it by 2027 and this training will allow outreach workers to work this autumn to reach vulnerable people and make an impact on rough sleeping numbers immediately.

Council Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the first additional homes to be built as a result of removing the cap on council housing revenue accounts.

James Brokenshire: Once the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap has been removed, local authorities will be able to use their new borrowing freedom to start building new homes to meet the needs of their communities immediately.

Homelessness

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the proportion of homeless people who are homeless due to an eviction from a private rented property.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government recognises that the ending of an assured shorthold tenancy is biggest cause of homelessness. The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security.We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. And the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.Also, this week we have launched the £20 million Private Rented Sector Access Scheme to support those who are, or at risk of homelessness. This access scheme will help those people sustain tenancies.

Ministry of Justice

Birmingham Prison

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff of each grade were employed at HMP Birmingham on 31 March 2010; and how many equivalent staff of each grade were employed at that prison on 20 August 2018.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the prison population of HMP Birmingham has been in each month since May 2010.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has (since 20 August) exercised its right under the contract to step in and take over the running of HMP Birmingham for an initial period of six months. This ‘step in’ action means that we can provide additional resources and support to the prison in order to directly address the areas of failure identified, and can subsequently recover the cost of doing so from G4S in accordance with the terms of the contract. We have already allocated experienced HM Prison and Probation Service officers to bolster existing staffing at HMP Birmingham, and an initial 32 experienced public sector officers have begun working at the prison. We are also strengthening the management team and reducing the prison’s capacity. This table provides the numbers of National Offender Management Service staff (full time equivalent), in post at HMP Birmingham by Grade, at 31 March 2010HM Prison Service: OperationalD-A Grades Bands 9-11 / Senior Managers3.00 F and E Grades Bands 6-8 / Managers13.00 Band 5 / Principal Officer22.79 Band 4 / Senior Officer70.21 Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists)385.49 HM Prison Reserves (included above)0.00 Band 2 / Operational Support103.69Operational Total 598.18HM Prison Service: Non OperationalSenior Civil Servant0.00 Bands 9-11 / Senior Managers0.00 Bands 6-8 / Managers12.00 Band 4 / Executive Officer8.00 Band 3 / Administrative Officer50.55 Band 2 / Administrative Assistant1.00 Other Admin3.00 Instructional Officer2.00 Psychology2.00 Chaplaincy5.00 Industrial / Facilities51.00 Other and Unknown Grades*2.02Non Operational Total 136.57Grand Total 734.75*Other and unknown grades include more unusual grades and a small number of staff where the grade was not recorded at the time the data was extracted. This table provides the numbers of funded staff in place at HMP Birmingham as of 1 August 2018. Further support was provided on 20 August 2018 by tornado teams, two members of staff on secondment and one further staff member on detached duty.01st August 2018Funded PlacesDirector (C2)1Deputy Director (D1)1Functional Heads (D2)7Manager (E1)16.8Manger (E2)62Prison Custody Officer302Operational Support Grade68.5F grade & others46.7Total505 Information relating to prison population is published regularly including figures for HMP Birmingham can be found at the following link;https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prisons-and-probation-statistics Figures for the population of HMP Birmingham taken at the end of each month from May 2010 May until June 2018 are included in this table. It should be noted that the figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. 201020112012201320142015201620172018Jan-1445143913271445141214499281317Feb-1445145314071443144114609161315Mar-1426146513911440143414319111290Apr-14431452137914131434141110061304May143814711442139714341432145112211247Jun147514591443138514331434142714171222Jul14281462144913901430143814311426-Aug14631453145313961399143214451440-Sep14501464143814491448144014451412-Oct14431492142314311433143714701447-Nov14421448142314371420144914701432-Dec1420140414141357139114299151271-

Ministry of Justice: Living Wage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Edward Argar: The UK Living Wage (sometimes referred to as the ‘Real Living Wage’) and the London Living Wage, are both voluntary rates set by the Living Wage Foundation. These are not statutory figures which relate to the government policy in this area, and so are not legally binding on employers. The statutory minimum rates are the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. For comparison, the National Living Wage is currently £7.83 per hour, and increased by 4.4% in April 2018. The increases in the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage have produced increases for over 2 million workers this year, across the economy, and increased pay by £2,000 for those on the minimum rate, since these statutory arrangements were introduced. All MoJ employees are paid at least the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage. 395 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPD and CICA) and 24 by HMPPS work inside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Real Living Wage £10.20 per hour. 1479 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPD and CICA) and 543 by HMPPS work outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the National Real Living Wage £8.75 per hour.

Ministry of Justice: Living Wage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Edward Argar: The UK Living Wage (sometimes referred to as the ‘Real Living Wage’) and the London Living Wage, are both voluntary rates set by the Living Wage Foundation. These are not statutory figures which relate to the government policy in this area, and so are not legally binding on employers. The statutory minimum rates are the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. For comparison, the National Living Wage is currently £7.83 per hour, and increased by 4.4% in April 2018. The increases in the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage have produced increases for over 2 million workers this year, across the economy, and increased pay by £2,000 for those on the minimum rate, since these statutory arrangements were introduced. All MoJ employees are paid at least the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage. 395 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPD and CICA) and 24 by HMPPS work inside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage of £10.20 per hour. 7471 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPD and CICA) and 6374 by HMPPS work outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage of £10.20 per hour.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018 on Spring Statement, HCWS540, how much of that funding he has allocated to (a) programmes, (b) administration and (c) staffing in his Department.

Rory Stewart: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 2017-18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017-18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018-19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018 (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)Ministry of Justice was allocated £17.3m for costs arising as the UK leave the EU in the Spring Statement 2018. The final breakdown between programme and administration spend will be confirmed in the Supplementary Estimates. In bidding for 2018-19 funding, we estimated that around 60% of this would be required for staffing. We continue to keep under review our preparations for exiting the EU and will not be able to confirm the final spend on staffing until the end of 2018/19.

Offences against Children: Sentencing

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were given prison sentences for child sexual abuse offences of (a) up to one year, (b) one to five years, (c) five to 10 years and (d) 10 years or more by plea entered in 2017.

Rory Stewart: The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for child sexual abuse offences at Crown Court in 2017 can be found in Table 1. This information is broken down by sentences of up to and including one year, over one year up to and including five years, over five years and up to and including ten years, over ten years and less than life and life sentence. Information on plea entered is provided for offenders sentenced at Crown Court however not for magistrates’ court as this information is not held centrally within the Court Proceedings Database. 



Table 1
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.14 KB)

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 157090 on Ministry of Justice: Buildings, how many days each Minister of his Department spent in Petty France between 8 January 2018 and 8 February 2018.

Edward Argar: Between 8 January and 8 February 2018 Dr Phillip Lee MP spent 16 days in the Ministry of Justice; David Gauke MP 19 days; Lucy Frazer MP 19 days and Rory Stewart MP 13 days. Lord Keen has a dual role as Advocate General for Scotland and MoJ spokesperson in the House of Lords, as such, he spent 11 days in the department on Ministry of Justice business. All ministers are required to split their departmental time between 102 Petty France and other locations such as the House of Commons / Lords. The information provided is for days spent partially or entirely in 102 Petty France.

Prisons: Temperature

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the maximum recorded temperature was and the date of that recording in each prison in 2018.

Rory Stewart: We take the welfare of prison staff and prisoners seriously and are committed to providing safe and decent conditions. We do not routinely collect maximum or minimum temperatures across the prison estate. However, where complaints are raised, the local facilities management provider will measure the specific temperature and discuss any appropriate resolution with the Prison Governor to ensure alternative contingency arrangements are put in place.

Prisons: Drinking Water

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons do not have water coolers or water fountains inside communal areas.

Rory Stewart: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation officers are attached to a specific (a) prison, (b) young offenders institution, (c) secure treatment centre and (d) other penal establishment.

Rory Stewart: As at 30 June 2018 there are 465 National Probation Service Probation Officers located at specific prisons, 94 at young offenders institutions. This includes both Probation Officers and Senior Probation Officers. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) also have staff located in prisons but, as CRC contracts do not specify that CRCs must maintain staffing numbers at a prescribed level, we do not hold the information that you have requested in relation to CRC staff. The contracts do require each CRC to maintain a sufficient level of staff, and ensure that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. We are currently undergoing commercial discussions with providers regarding a new Through the Gate delivery specification, which includes resettlement services being delivered in prisons and by whom. We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.There are no Probation Officers at Secure Training Centres or Secure Treatment Centres and other penal establishments. This is because all offenders given custodial sentences below the age of 18 are supported by Youth Offending Teams rather than the Probation Service. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure consistency of reporting. However, the database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate. It should also be noted that as we do not hold the data in the format requested the figures given for NPS staff does not include those working at Privately Managed Prisons. With the Offender Management in Custody model also being implemented across the estate, prisons will be better able to run fuller regimes with more opportunities for purposeful activity. This will have a positive effect on reducing the levels of violence in prisons, which still remain too high and impairs prisoner rehabilitation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Immigration

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that legal aid is available for immigration cases in Suffolk; and if he will make a statement.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Legal Aid Agency plans to provide contracts for immigration legal aid to advisers in Ipswich.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to ensure an adequate level of legal support and advice to provide for the projected increase in unaccompanied child asylum seekers dispersed to Ipswich under the National Transfer Scheme.

Lucy Frazer: The LAA will shortly complete the procurement process for new civil legal contracts which included immigration advice. The majority of contracts commenced on 1 September 2018 however there are still a small number of contracts that have not yet commenced. Once the procurement process is completed the LAA will assess whether there are any gaps in provision and what steps need to be taken to fill the gaps. We are aware of the concerns raised in relation to access in the East of England and have had this under review for some time. This is one of the first areas that we will consider once all the contracts have started.

Bail

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants were granted court bail where the principal offence was (a) murder, (b) manslaughter, (c) robbery, (d) rape, (e) fraud and (f) violence against the person in each of the last five years; and how many people on court bail in each category of offence absconded.

Rory Stewart: The number of defendants granted bail in the period from 2013 to 2017, at both the magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court, for the offences of murder, manslaughter, robbery, rape, fraud and violence against the person, can be found in the attached table. Absconding has been interpreted as those defendants failing to appear (FTA), as this is the best estimate we can provide from the data. The number of defendants recorded as FTA can be found in the attached table. The circumstances and reason for each FTA is unknown. Not all FTAs are due to defendants absconding. There are many reasons for a FTA and absconding is just one of them.



Table 176505
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.22 KB)

Magistrates' Courts

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what safeguards are in place to ensure that (a) CPS and (b) defence solicitors receive timely access to all relevant evidence in cases to be heard in magistrates courts.

Lucy Frazer: The package of evidence which must be served on the defence before the first hearing in a magistrates’ court is referred to as the Initial Details of the Prosecution Case (IDPC). The contents of the IDPC, and the time by which it must be served on the court and defence, are set out in Part 8 of the Criminal Procedure Rules:https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/criminal/docs/2015/crim-proc-rules-2015-part-08.pdfCrown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance states the responsibility of the police to provide key evidence within agreed time periods, and gives prosecutors information about the required contents and timeliness of the IDPC.The police and CPS are required to adhere to the National File Standard (NFS), which specifies the material required for the first hearing and subsequent stages of the case. In 2016, CPS and the police developed the National Case File Quality Assessment model, providing a nationally consistent approach to checking and managing case file quality which assesses, among other things, whether the case file adheres to the NFS.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on supporting people who are on the autism spectrum at employment support allowance or personal independence payment tribunals.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support in place for people on the autistism spectrum at employment support allowance and personal independence payment tribunals; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice recognises the needs of people on the autism spectrum. Tribunal staff and judicial office holders are trained accordingly, with HMCTS providing reasonable adjustments to give those with disabilities equal access to information and services. This upholds the overriding objective within the Tribunal rules that cases are to be dealt with fairly and justly, including ensuring that all parties can participate fully. Information on the HMCTS equality and diversity policy and handling of requests for reasonable adjustments can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service/about/equality-and-diversity

Homicide: Sentencing

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time is that people convicted of murder offences have spent in custody in the last three years.

Rory Stewart: The average number of years served by those serving a mandatory life sentence (the sentence given to all those convicted of murder) is published in table A3.3 of the OMSQ Annual Releases publication:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729259/releases-annual-2017.ods 2018 figures will be published at the end of April 2019. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Public protection is our priority. Offenders serving life sentences will only be released if the independent Parole Board is satisfied that it is safe to do so based on a thorough assessment of risk. Once released, they remain on life licence for the rest of their lives and can be recalled from community to custody at any time.

Prison Officers

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the prison officer to prisoner ratio was in each (a) government run and (b) private run prison in each of the last eight years.

Rory Stewart: Prison population statistics and workforce statistics are regularly published. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018 HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics (which contains staffing figures in public sector prisons but not in privately managed prisons) are published quarterly. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2018 I have attached tables showing the number of funded posts at each privately managed prison and the number of Prison Officers present in Public Sector Prisons, alongside population figures for each establishment. It should be noted that as with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time to ensure consistency of reporting. However, the database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate. Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We now have over 3,500 additional staff in post compared to October 2016. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.



Table for PQ 177679
(Excel SpreadSheet, 38.85 KB)

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what change there has been in staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.

Rory Stewart: The information you have requested is published on the monthly cabinet office data for MoJ website which shows the number of payroll staff and agency/contractors in the department each month going back to 2011. Please see the link to this below https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-moj

Treasury

Overseas Loans: Disclosure of Information

Kate Osamor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that loans made to foreign governments under UK law by UK-based financial institutions are publicly disclosed when they are made.

John Glen: The UK is working through the G20 to promote sovereign debt transparency and sustainability, particularly for low income developing countries. UK-based lenders are subject to extensive prudential disclosure requirements under UK prudential and accounting law, including for material loans made to foreign Governments, which appropriately reflect firms’ exposures. Compliance with these requirements are independently assessed by the relevant UK regulator during their supervisory activities.

Treasury: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff (a) are employed directly by (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Robert Jenrick: As at 31st July 2018 the headcounts were as follows: a) 1326 staff employed directly by the department b) 74 staff seconded to the department c) 14 staff working under contract

Infrastructure

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the July 2018 report of the National Infrastructure Commission’s entitled National Infrastructure Assessment.

Robert Jenrick: The government welcomed the publication of the National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA), and is considering the recommendations. As set out in the National Infrastructure Commission’s Framework Document, the government will respond to the NIC’s recommendations as soon as practicable, and endeavour to respond within 6 months, and no longer than a year.

Treasury: Working Hours

Catherine West: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the contracted hours are for the highest paid member of staff in his Department.

Robert Jenrick: The highest paid member of staff is contracted to 37 hours a week.

Stamp Duties

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total value is of refunds paid in each category of Stamp Duty in each of the last 10 years.

Mel Stride: We have interpreted “each category of Stamp Duty” as relating to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), Stamp Duty (SD) and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (SDRT). However, we have not included refund amounts for Stamp Taxes on Shares (SD and SDRT) to ensure compliance with disclosure policy relating to taxpayer confidentiality. The table attached provides an estimate of the amount of refunds authorised for SDLT transactions derived from summary administrative records, for years that were available (last 9 years). Figures relating specifically to Higher Rate on Additional Dwellings (HRAD) refunds are available in the public domain through the Quarterly SDLT publication. HRAD was introduced in April 2016, and taxpayers are able to claim repayment of their initial HRAD amount if they sell their previous main residence within 36 months.



table
(Word Document, 36.42 KB)

Individual Savings Accounts

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2018 to Question 162093 on Individual Savings Accounts, whether the data for the first quarter of 2018-19 is available for publication.

John Glen: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not received any withdrawal charges from Lifetime Individual Saving Accounts (LISA). The functionality to receive these charges is expected to be in place by spring 2019. In the meantime, LISA providers are deducting the appropriate withdrawal charges as required and holding the funds, pending the roll out of the collection functionality.

National Insurance Contributions

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who pay both the employer and employee National Insurance contribution.

Mel Stride: The number of individuals in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) for which there was both an employee and employer Class 1 National Insurance contributions liability was 26.64m in the 2017/18 tax year.

Environmental Protection

Dr David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to use vehicle tax to help achieve the objectives set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan.

Robert Jenrick: The vehicle tax system supports the objectives set out in the government’s 25 Year Environmental Plan. Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car tax are designed to encourage the uptake of cars with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to meet our legally binding targets. In addition, at Autumn Budget 2017, the government announced a temporary levy on new diesel cars to encourage manufacturers to bring forward the next generation clean models sooner.

Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the level of revenue accrued to the public purse as a result of new sub-section 259HA(5)(b) Chapter 8 Part 6A TIOPA 2010 as outlined in clause 38 of the draft finance bill.

Mel Stride: The level of revenue accrued to the public purse as a result of the implementation of sub-section 259HA(5)(b) in Chapter 8 Part 6A TIOPA 2010 as outlined in clause 38 of the draft finance bill is expected to be negligible. Estimates approved by the Office for Budget Responsibility are not available. More information can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note published on 8 July 2018: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hybrid-and-other-mismatches-anti-tax-avoidance-directive/hybrid-and-other-mismatches-anti-tax-avoidance-directive

Proceeds of Crime

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Financial Conduct Authority has the statutory power to prosecute offences under (a) Sections 327-329 and (b) Sections 330-332 of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can prosecute offences under these provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) where doing so is in accordance with its statutory functions and it is not expressly prohibited from doing so as a result of statutory restrictions or other conditions. It has obtained, prosecuted and secured 10 convictions against five individuals for money laundering offences under POCA.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential contribution to the public purse of the new anti-avoidance rule involving profit fragmentation arrangements in each financial year from 2017-8 to 2021-22.

Mel Stride: Estimates approved by the Office for Budget Responsibility are not available.

Gambling: Excise Duties

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution to the public purse of proposed changes to the way gaming duty is calculated in each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Robert Jenrick: We expect the ability to carry forward losses will have a negligible negative impact on public finances but this has not yet been determined by the OBR. The government is currently engaging with the OBR on the impact of this measure. This impact was set out in the summary of responses to the “Gaming Duty: review of accounting periods” consultation. This is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722409/Gaming_Duty_review_of_accounting_periods_summary_of_responses.pdf

Corporation Tax

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution to the public purse of proposed changes to corporate interest restriction rules in each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution to the public purse of proposed changes to carried forward losses for insurance companies in each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Mel Stride: Corporate interest restriction rulesThree changes to the original corporate interest restriction (CIR) rules have been announced since the measure was introduced.Technical amendments to ensure the regime works as intended were announced at Autumn Budget 2017. These amendments are not expected to have an Exchequer impact in each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Further information can be found in the tax impact and information note (TIIN): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-amendments-to-the-corporate-interest-restriction-rules/corporation-tax-amendments-to-the-corporate-interest-restriction-rulesFurther technical amendments to ensure the regime works as intended were announced alongside the Finance Bill 2018-19. These amendments will not apply in 2017-18 and are not expected to have an Exchequer impact in each year from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Further information can be found in the TIIN: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-changes-to-the-corporate-interest-restriction-rules/corporation-tax-amendments-to-the-corporate-interest-restriction-rulesTechnical amendments to a number of parts of the tax legislation, including the CIR rules, were also announced alongside Finance Bill 2018-19 in response to changes to the accounting treatment of leases. These amendments will not apply in 2017-18 and are expected to have a negligible impact on the Exchequer in each year from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Further information can be found in the TIIN: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-and-corporation-tax-response-to-accounting-changes-for-leasing/income-tax-and-corporation-tax-response-to-accounting-changes-for-leasing Carried forward losses for insurance companiesEstimates approved by the Office for Budget Responsibility are not available.

Fringe Benefits

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution to the public purse of the introduction of overseas scale rates for employee travel expenses in each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Mel Stride: The Government’s estimates of the effect of the introduction of overseas scale rates for employee travel expenses is set out in the policy paper “Abolition of receipt checking for benchmark scale rates and changes to overseas scale rates”. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/abolition-of-receipt-checking-for-benchmark-scale-rates-and-changes-to-overseas-scale-rates/abolition-of-receipt-checking-for-benchmark-scale-rates-and-changes-to-overseas-scale-rates Overseas scale rates have been in HMRC guidance since 2008, and are now being put on a statutory basis. The change described in the policy paper is not expected to have any significant economic impacts and the Exchequer impact from legislating overseas scale rates is estimated to be negligible.

Bank Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people that do not have a bank account in each of the last three years in (a) the UK and (b) Feltham and Heston constituency.

John Glen: The Treasury does not make assessments of the number of people who do not have a bank account. However, in 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority published the results of the Financial Lives Survey which found that 1.3 million UK adults were unbanked, i.e. have no current account or alternative e-money account. The Financial Lives Survey report (https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/research/understanding-financial-lives-uk-adults) contains further information on the characteristics of the unbanked and their preferences to have a bank account. The report analyses survey results across the four nations of the UK, the nine regions of England, and by rural and urban areas. The FCA intend to repeat the Financial Lives Survey on a regular basis in future.

Credit: Interest Rates

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates he has made of the number of people that took out a high-cost loan in each of the last three years in (a) the UK and (b) Feltham and Heston constituency.

John Glen: On 1 April 2014, regulation of the consumer credit market, including high-cost lenders, was transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We have passed the Honourable Lady’s questions on to the FCA, who will reply directly by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Children: Day Care

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2018 to Questions 129224, 129229, 129231 on Childcare Vouchers Wakefield, when he plans to make that information by constituency available.

Elizabeth Truss: We have no plans to publish information on the use of childcare vouchers or eligibility for tax free childcare by constituency as we do not hold this information.

Treasury: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.

John Glen: We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. We have already published over 100 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a 'no deal' scenario. These include notices outlining HMT and HMRC’s preparations on:Banking, insurance and other financial servicesVAT for businessesThe Government’s guarantee for EU-funded programmesTrading with the EUClassifying your goods in the UK Trade Tariff These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use.

European Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July to Question 165011 on European Investment Bank, what the effect of the expansion of the UK Guarantees Scheme to provide construction guarantees has been on the value of bonds and loans  that have been (a) issued and (b) supported since June 2017.

Robert Jenrick: Changes to the value of bonds and loans covered by the UK Guarantees Scheme are announced via Written Ministerial Statement and published on GOV.UK.

European Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July to Question 165011 on European Investment Bank, what plans he has to replicate the functions of the European Investment Bank in the event that the UK loses access to that bank after the UK leaves the EU.

Robert Jenrick: The European Investment Bank, and its offshoot, the European Investment Fund, provide financing for infrastructure investment and growth businesses. The UK continues to consider it may be in the mutual interest of all sides for the UK to maintain some form of ongoing relationship with the EIB Group after leaving the EU. We will explore these options with the EU as part of the negotiations on the future relationship. And as the Chancellor said in his Mansion House speech last year, if we do not maintain our relationship with the EIB group, we will be prepared. The government has already taken steps to increase support for infrastructure finance and high-growth businesses, and we will keep that support under review as negotiations progress. At Autumn Budget 2017 the Chancellor launched the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, and the British Business Bank was allowed to bring forward some of the £400 million additional investment announced at the 2016 Autumn Statement.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Equality

Stephen Doughty: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps are being taken to promote greater diversity by (a) gender (b) ethnicity and (c) sexual orientation in leadership positions within the Church.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Holding answer received on 11 October 2018



Increasing diversity among the clergy is a priority for the Church of England. Nationally the Church has set a target that it will increase the overall number of people recommended for training by 50% over a five-year period. The Church is well on the way to deliver this and has already seen a 22% increase in those entering training since 2016. The Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council has developed programmes to support those who are being called to the priesthood from as wide a range of communities and backgrounds as possible. Members of the Crown Nominations Commission who are involved in the recruitment and discernment process for the most senior appointments also undergo unconscious bias training.During 2018 the Church recommended 316 women for training, which was 54% of the total. This represents the highest proportion of women entering training that the Church has seen in the last ten years.The most recent data from 2017 shows that around 6% of those entering training self-identify as being from a minority ethnic background. The Church responded by recruiting a National ME Vocations Officer to address this underrepresentation of minority ethnic clergy and through the “Turning up the Volume” programme is supporting future senior leaders. The Ordained Vocations Mentor Directory was also created to help support those at any stage on the journey towards ordained vocations who would like a mentor.The Church of England does not record or keep data on the sexual orientation of candidates.

Salisbury Cathedral

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the policy of the Commissioners is on renewal of leaseholds within the precincts of Salisbury Cathedral; and if she will make a statement.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Lease renewals within the Close at Salisbury are a matter for the Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral and the Church Commissioners do not therefore have a policy on this matter. The Chapter at Salisbury Cathedral sought the Church Commissioners consent under the Cathedrals Measure 1999 for a proposal to be offered to qualifying tenants. The Church Commissioners acknowledge that the Dean and Chapter have undertaken all due diligence in respect of this proposal but were unable to approve it without a quantified assessment of its impact on the Cathedral’s mission. Since that date the Third Estates Commissioner has met with the Dean and representatives of Chapter in September and has written to the Chapter recognising the difficulties in making this assessment.Following these discussions, we understand that the Chapter at Salisbury is intending to review the matter.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Land

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department and its agencies have taken to support the National Pollinator Strategy on Ministry of Defence-owned land.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff (a) are employed directly by (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of people from the North East of England who have enlisted in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The North East of England has been interpreted to mean one of the nine Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) of England: https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies/eurostat#north-east-england The requested information is provided in the following tables. All figures are single Service estimates and as such, are non-comparable:  Royal Navy (RN) / Royal Marines (RM) The numbers of RN/RM Other Ranks (Regular and Reserve) recruited in the last five full Financial Years (FY) through Armed Forces Careers Offices in Middlesbrough and Newcastle are as follows:   FY2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Regulars (Other Ranks)260200240210230Reserves (Other Ranks)2030302020 Officer recruitment has not been included as this is carried out on a regional basis; officer recruits from the North-East are recruited alongside recruits from the whole of Northern England through the Manchester Officer Careers Liaison Centre. The figures do not necessarily indicate that the individuals reside in the North East. ArmyThe table below shows the number of people who have enlisted in the Army for each of the last five Financial Years, with a contact address within the North East. FY2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Regulars and Reservists, (Officers and Other Ranks)520800770630530 Figures relate to untrained intake to initial training (Phase 1) by Recruiting Year. Figures do not include Gurkhas, Gibraltarians or Military Provost Guard Service. The figures do not necessarily indicate that individuals reside in the North East.  Royal Air Force (RAF) The numbers of Regular RAF Service personnel (Officers and Other Ranks) who enlisted through the Armed Forces Careers Offices in Newcastle are as follows: FY2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Regulars and Reservists, (Officers and Other Ranks)10080120130110 The figures do not necessarily indicate that the individuals reside in the North East. There is no unit within the North East which has Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF, RAF Reserves) Squadrons. RAF Leeming in the Yorkshire and The Humber NUTS is the closest location for individuals from the North East to join the RAuxAF. The figures for RAF Reservists enlisted at RAF Leeming are as follows: Recruiting YearTotal2013-14202014-15502015-16402016-17802017-1850 All numbers have been rounded. Totals may not equal the sum of their parts. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias.

Army: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last visited soldiers in Northern Ireland.

Gavin Williamson: I last visited soldiers in Northern Ireland on 8 September 2018.

Army

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) soldiers who have been discharged following the failure of a compulsory drugs test have subsequently rejoined the (i) Infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Corps of Signals, (iv) Army Medical Services, (v) Adjutant General's Corps, (vi) Royal Armoured Corps, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Engineers, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (xi) Intelligence Corps.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Dogs

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2018 to Question 131555 on Armed Forces: Dogs, whether both of the military working dogs he instructed his Department in December 2017 to save have now been re-homed.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The two dogs referred to have been successfully rehomed.

AWACS: Procurement

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018, HCWS974 on Airborne Warning and Control System, when the decision was taken to pursue single source discussions with Boeing.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018, HCWS974 on Airborne Warning and Control System, on what basis his Department judged that the E-7 is likely to offer the best value for money for the UK.

Stuart Andrew: The decision to begin single source discussions with Boeing was taken following the analysis of possible options available on the matter. This next step will enable us to more thoroughly evaluate whether the E-7 not only meets our requirements, but also offers value for money. I should, however, emphasise that no final decision has been taken, and that any procurement will be subject to the Ministry of Defence's usual stringent acquisition approvals process.

AWACS: Procurement

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018, HCWS974 on Airborne Warning and Control System, if he will publish the market analysis undertaken by his Department in relation to that decision.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Written Statement of 9th October 2018, HCWS974 on Airborne Warning and Control System, what other potential options in the market his Department considered.

Stuart Andrew: The analysis work relating to possible options to invest in and improve the United Kingdom's Airborne Warning and Control System capability considered a wide range of options available on the market, including a number of business jet-based solutions and also some more novel options, including unmanned aerial vehicles.I am withholding market analysis information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces.

AWACS: Procurement

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018, HCWS974 on Airborne Warning and Control System, what discussions his Department has had with Boeing on potential offsetting arrangements.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence does not use offsets in defence procurement as they are not permitted under European Union procurement law.

Army: Officers

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many senior Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers (a) started and (b) completed the Late Entry Officers Course at Sandhurst in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The number of senior Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and Warrant Officers (WOs) who started and completed the Late Entry Officers Course at Sandhurst in each of the last five years is shown below. All of those who attended the course completed it. Financial YearNumber of NCOs/WOs2013-142202014-152202015-162302016-172602017-18280 Please note that these figures are single service estimates and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. For presentational purposes the figures have been rounded to improve the clarity of output and convey an appropriate level of precision to users.

Veterans: Identity Cards

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on creating official ID cards for veterans.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Veterans ID Card will be launched in December 2018 for Service Leavers and made available to Veterans in 2019.The new ID card has two functions: to provide a memento of service and maintain a tangible link to the Armed Forces, and to ensure that public and charitable sector services and support can be provide where needed by Veterans as efficiently as possible.

Ministry of Defence: Official Visits

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) overseas and (b) domestic visits the Minister for Defence Procurement has carried out since his appointment; and what the location was of each visit.

Stuart Andrew: Since I took up the appointment of Minister for Defence Procurement on 19 July 2018, I have undertaken:Three overseas visits to:Belgium - 6 SeptemberKuwait - 2 OctoberItaly - 3-4 October10 domestic visits to:Warton - 26 JulySamlesbury - 26 JulyBarrow - 1 AugustGovan - 14 AugustEdinburgh - 15 AugustChester - 29 AugustDenbighshire - 30 AugustStockport - 10 SeptemberBristol - 18 SeptemberPlymouth - 11 October

Type 23 Frigates

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days Type 23 frigates spent at sea in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Stuart Andrew: The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes and Departmental planning requirements. From the records that have been scrutinised, the number of days that each of the Type 23 Frigates has spent at sea in each year from 2010 to 1 October 2018 is:  YEAR201020112012201320142015201620172018ARGYLL32147140137168250111117LANCASTER1220133167100157000IRON DUKE931773112617585132940MONMOUTH1451713315006811320982MONTROSE19012914316576004195WESTMINSTER8914817916810000126116RICHMOND1201627417814218073510NORTHUMBERLAND22045141153186480065SOMERSET188172511591861311139561SUTHERLAND148183194989127127103154KENT1092414716313712467036PORTLAND15112025139161107176410ST ALBANS164202144407912213613891

Australia: AWACS

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to assign RAF personnel to the Royal Australian Air Force as crew members aboard E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft.

Stuart Andrew: Personnel are already embedded with the Royal Australian Air Force in Williamtown, in order to get a better understanding of the capability and to gain an understanding of how to operate a modern Airborne Early Warning and Control platform.The number of personnel assigned to posts in Australia is under constant review.

Armed Forces: Sexual Harassment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to investigate the nature, prevalence, prevention and management of sexual harassment within the (a) Royal Navy (b) Army (c) RAF.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence is committed to preventing sexual harassment and is very clear that unacceptable behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated and action will be taken against anyone found to be engaging in such behaviour. Sexual harassment affects both men and women, and all personnel have the right to work in an environment which is free from discrimination and unacceptable behaviour of any form. Personnel should be confident that any allegations will be taken very seriously and action will be taken to deal with it. Naval ServiceThe Naval Service has a range of policies which espouse the law as contained in the Equality Act 2010, which is that personnel must not engage in discrimination, victimisation or harassment. Harassment involving unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is addressed within those policies. In particular, the Tri-Service Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct (as contained in Joint Service Publication 887: ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Social Conduct’) is widely briefed during Naval initial training and well as on Divisional and leadership courses. It forms a fundamental element of Naval Ethos, Values and Standards and as such is briefed regularly as part of routine Divisional Briefings. The Naval Service also ensures that all those in Service understand that poor behaviour, including sexual harassment, will not be tolerated. This is primarily achieved through leadership and education including a widely published Diversity and Inclusion Direction from the First Sea Lord; published Diversity and Inclusion statements from Commanding Officers which take a very firm line on poor behaviours, and recently updated Diversity and Inclusion mandatory training which specifically addresses the issue of the effect poor behaviour can have on team building, operational capability and mission success and the individuals involved. ArmyThe 2018 Army Sexual Harassment Survey follows the previous 2015 survey and the Army has already committed to repeating it again in 2021, underlining its commitment to improving behaviours and openly holding itself to account against the highest standards. The Army’s Action Plan for addressing the issues raised by the survey can be found at the link below. This sets out some of the steps being taken including increased education and training, reviewing and simplifying reporting processes and further enhancing the support available to those who have experienced sexual harassment. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/army-sexual-harassment-report-and-action-plan-2018  Royal Air Force (RAF)The RAF, in line with the other Services, has a range of policies and processes which help meet the legal obligations contained within the Equality Act 2010 and the RAF’s specific legal duty as part of the Public Sector to show due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct. Harassment involving unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is addressed within those policies, including the Tri-Service Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct which is widely briefed during initial training and as part of command, management and leadership courses at all levels. Air Publication 1, ‘Ethos, Core Values and Standards’, reiterates the standards expected of all personnel and identifies unwelcome sexual attention in the form of physical or verbal conduct as an example of unacceptable personal behaviour. Further, Air Publication 1 makes clear that all personnel, regardless of rank, have a responsibility to set the right environment and to challenge inappropriate behaviour.

Defence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Modernising Defence Programme.

Gavin Williamson: I expect to be in a position to share the results of the Modernising Defence Programme in due course.

Army Reserve: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether reserve infantry soldiers will have to pass the Army's new In-Service Physical Employment Standards when it comes into effect as part of mandatory training obligations in order to be eligible for award of the Certificate of Efficiency and therefore training bounty.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Reserve infantry soldiers will need to meet the new In-Service Physical Employment Standards to be eligible for the Certificate of Efficiency from April 2019. Due to the nature of the Reserve commitment (e.g. time limitations) they will take a practical alternative version of the new Army Role Fitness Test (RFT). This has been developed to predict success at the RFT and is not a lower standard. Army Reserve personnel deploying on operations or attending specific training courses (which are yet to be defined), will take the full RFT.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: West Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children living in workless households in the East Midlands.

Alok Sharma: The latest estimate of the number of children living in workless households** in the East Midlands is 99,000 (11.4%). In 2010 there were 131,000 such children; this is a decrease of 25%. Nationally the number of children living in workless households has fallen by a third and now stands at just under 1.3 million (10.2%). Notes: Source: Labour Force Survey from April – June 2018 published by the Office of National Statistics ** Households including at least one person aged 16 to 64

Vacancies: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of vacancies in the West Midlands for (a) permanent and (b) temporary positions.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions provides a service to offer vacancies which are available on Gov.uk (‘Find a Job’). Current data sourced from this website in respect of vacancies for the West Midlands is below: Total Jobs – 19,465Permanent – 10,570Contract – 8,361 The above data was obtained from Find a Job on 9th October 2018. (Note: vacancies showing as live on ‘Find a Job’ may have now passed their closing date.) There are many other job search sites available advertising vacancies, such as indeed.co.uk and reed.co.uk. Vacancies which appear on other sites may or may not appear on ‘Find a Job’; as such the numbers quoted above will not accurately reflect the total job market.

Maternity Leave: Universal Credit

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on women on maternity leave.

Justin Tomlinson: Maternity leave does not have a bearing on entitlement to UC. For people who are working, UC has a single taper so payments reduce at a consistent and predictable rate and they generally keep a high proportion of extra earnings. This applies to women on maternity leave. Some will be in receipt of UC, before, during and after their maternity leave and UC will provide a stable source of income throughout.In addition support for child care has increased in UC from 70 per cent to 85 per cent and we will continue to pay childcare costs for an existing childcare place whilst a claimant is receiving Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay.No formal assessment has been made of the effect of the roll-out of Universal Credit on women on maternity leave.

Universal Credit: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants there are in the Garston and Halewood constituency.

Alok Sharma: The latest available information on the number of people on Universal Credit by parliamentary constituency and local authority is published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will estimate the number of households in Garston and Halewood constituency that will be migrated from legacy benefits to universal credit after its introduction at the end of 2018.

Alok Sharma: The requested information is not available for publication by constituency

Universal Credit

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure claimants of universal credit who receive a salary advance in December to cover the costs of Christmas do not have their eligibility for universal credit reduced as a result.

Alok Sharma: Where a claimant receives an advance on their earnings, including at Christmas, such advances are not taken into account as earnings for the period in which they are received. This also applies when the advance is repaid. This aligns with the treatment of such payments for tax purposes.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that 90 per cent of claims for universal credit are paid in full in advance of managed migration; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Currently around 80 per cent of new claims are paid in full and on time. In many cases where full payment is not, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. We have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to maintain its provision of support for jobseekers to become self-employed through the New Enterprise Allowance.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to (a) maintain and (b) extend support for jobseekers through the provisions of New Enterprise Allowance 2.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) providers of New Enterprise Allowance 2 to (a) maintain and (b) extend self-employment support to jobseekers.

Alok Sharma: DWP is committed to support to people in, or considering, self-employment to progress to sustained financial self-sufficiency. The Department is looking at the options for the best way to continue to provide support to this group following the current contract cycle.

Universal Credit

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to support claimants receiving employment and support allowance in their transition to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Once passed, our managed migration regulations will ensure that anyone we move onto Universal Credit, without a change of circumstance, will have their existing benefit entitlement safeguarded. As part of this we will also be providing on-going protection for 500,000 claimants receiving the Severe Disability Premium. Earlier this month, we announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver a new approach to Universal Support, initially up to March 2020. Our new partnership will ensure that all those who need to make a claim and need extra support can access it. Our focus is always on safeguarding claimants and ensuring a smooth transition with uninterrupted support. Our plans, under discussion with stakeholders, already include a mechanism to ensure that, before the existing benefits are stopped, agents will check for evidence of complex needs or vulnerability or disability to safeguard these claimants.

Universal Credit

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training has been provided to case managers to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge of the universal credit regulations.

Alok Sharma: Department for Work and Pensions staff moving into a case manager role delivering Universal Credit Full Service receive a minimum of 90 hours of job-specific training. New staff joining the Department in this role undertake a minimum of 143 hours of learning. The learning includes guidance and procedures that are based on the Universal Credit regulations. In all cases, the Department ensures staff are given sufficient on-the-job training to consolidate what they have learnt.

Universal Credit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make TrainingBuild for Universal Credit available to welfare advice centre staff.

Alok Sharma: While the Universal Credit Full Service training platform cannot be released to non-DWP staff for security reasons, there are a range of alternate materials available to inform our stakeholders of our processes and online systems. As part of our engagement workshops and sessions with external partners, including welfare advice staff, we have introduced a number of materials that show elements of the online service and demonstrate how we use it to manage claims. These cover aspects such as opening accounts, making claims, use of the online journal and reclaims. These are supported by freely available online videos and publications which tell the story of the transition to Universal Credit.

Personal Independence Payment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the latest projected end date is for the migration from disability living allowance personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: We continue to review the pace of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment activity on a regular basis to make sure that we are striking an appropriate balance between inviting eligible claimants to claim PIP in a timely manner and ensuring the system is working as effectively as possible. Children in receipt of DLA when reaching age 16 will continue to be invited to claim PIP at that point.

Universal Credit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what digital support will be available to universal credit claimants in maintaining their claim.

Alok Sharma: Currently, claimants who are in need of digital support can access this through Universal Support. Earlier this month, we announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver a new approach to Universal Support, initially up to March 2020. Our new partnership will ensure that all those who need to make a claim and need extra support can access it. Additionally, jobcentres across the country have free Wi-Fi, and there are more than 8,000 computers available to support customers who need help with making and maintaining their claim digitally. DWP work coaches are available to assist anyone who needs help with their claim and we also have a free phone helpline available for people cannot get online. Non-digital support is also available for vulnerable claimants, who cannot use the online service, through other channels such as telephony, face to face or through home visits to ensure they can maintain their claim. Our recently published Universal Credit Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants did claim online and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be easy.

Universal Credit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people have had their right to reside overturned in an application for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants she estimates will be migrated to universal credit when the new arrangements are rolled out this week in (a) Kettering and (b) other parts of England.

Alok Sharma: The requested information is not available for publication by constituency or region.

Universal Credit

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report published by the Trussell Trust on 5 October 2018 entitled The next stages of Universal Credit, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that people switching to universal credit do not fall into food poverty.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of occasions the time taken to authorise payment following an application for a Support for Mortgage Interest loan has exceeded her Departmental expectation of two weeks.

Justin Tomlinson: Where a claimant expresses an interest in taking up the offer of an SMI loan they will be sent a loan agreement and charge form to complete and return. They also receive detailed guidance on how to complete these documents. The Department determines that 6 weeks is a sufficient time period for claimants to make a decision whether to take up the offer of an SMI loan. The Department ask that the loan agreement and charge form are returned as soon reasonably possible to enable them to be processed efficiently. A reminder is sent out after six weeks if the documents have not been received. Claimants may change their mind whether to take or decline a loan at any time. Returned forms are checked for accuracy, and if correctly completed we would expect that, in the majority of cases, SMI Loan payments would be authorised within two weeks but this is dependent upon claimants benefit pay cycle. The Department does not hold the data requested regarding how often payments are authorised within two weeks.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the criteria are for determining which WASPI cases submitted to the Independent Case Examiner are referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman; and who makes the final decision on which cases are referred.

Guy Opperman: The Independent Case Examiner is independent. All final investigation reports issued by the Independent Case Examiner explain that if the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation into their complaint, they can ask their Member of Parliament to escalate the matter to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Decisions on whether a referral is made to the Parliamentary Ombudsman rest with the relevant Member of Parliament.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases relating to her Department have been considered by the (a) Independent Case Examiner and (b) Parliamentary Ombudsman in each month since January 2017.

Guy Opperman: The table below details the number of complaint examinations concluded by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office in relation to the Department for Work and Pensions and its service providers, in each month since January 2017. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has agreed to write to the Hon. Member with the information requested. MonthComplaint Examinations Concluded by Independent Case Examiner’s OfficeJanuary 201773February 201771March 2017115April 201757May 201784June 201785July 201783August 201769September 201771October 201781November 201776December 201765January 201885February 201882March 201883April 201874May 201887June 2018108July 201891August 2018104September 201891

Parental Pay: Self-employed

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) financial and (b) psychological effect on self-employed people of being unable to access statutory maternity and paternity leave pay.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has not conducted any analysis of the psychological or financial impacts on self-employed people who are ineligible for statutory family related leave and pay entitlements. Maternity Allowance (MA) is paid to eligible self-employed and employed women who are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay. Statutory family related leave entitlements focus on employees as they have less flexibility and autonomy over the work they do and when they take time off work. The Government agrees with the principle of equalising parental benefits for the employed and self-employed. But as set out in the Government Response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, it is right to only consider making changes to this area once we have carefully considered this in the wider context of tax, benefits and rights over the longer term.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Departments policy on sanctions of the report, Universal credit in work progression randomised control panel, published by her Department on 12 December 2017.

Alok Sharma: The results from the In-work Progression Randomised Controlled Trial show positive, but relatively small, impacts on earnings, and the wider evaluation contains a range of findings about the delivery and reception of the interventions being tested, including that of conditionality and sanctions. This report is a starting point: we have more to do to further analyse the findings from the RCT, and we are developing a programme of research, analysis, tests and trials, to further develop the evidence base on progression.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's universal credit In-Work Progression Randomised Controlled Trial, what steps she is taking to incorporate the results of that trial into policies on in–work claimants.

Alok Sharma: The results from the In-work Progression Randomised Controlled Trial show positive, but relatively small, impacts on earnings, and the wider evaluation contains a range of findings about the delivery and reception of the interventions being tested. This is a starting point: we have more to do to further analyse the findings from the RCT, and we are developing a programme of research, analysis, tests and trials, to further develop the evidence base on progression.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 6.16 of Autumn Budget 2017, how her Department has spent the £8 million committed to further develop the evidence base on in-work progression in universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The £8m allocated in Autumn Budget 2017 provides funding over four years to build the evidence base on progression. A programme of activity is being developed, including a large scale research project to understand the support needs of future cohorts of UC in-work claimants. We are reflecting on the findings from our Randomised Controlled Trial and other emerging evidence as we develop these plans, as well as engaging with stakeholders, including a range of academics and other external experts.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has held with independent providers of employment support to further develop the evidence base on what works to help people earn more and progress in work.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to extend the Universal Credit: In-Work Progression Randomised Controlled Trial to include employment support providers outside of JobCentre Plus to develop evidence on what works to help people earn more and progress in work.

Alok Sharma: The In-work Progression Randomised Controlled Trial has now ceased but as we seek to further develop the evidence base on progression, we have regular discussions with a range of employment support providers, including those convened by the Employment Related Services Association.

Pensions

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have contacted (a) her Department and (b) pension providers on having been unaware that they had a pension which had been contracted out.

Guy Opperman: Under successive governments the Department has never kept records on numbers contacting the Department or pension providers on having been unaware that they had a pension which had been contracted out.

Universal Credit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of 7 February 2018, Official Report, column 1489, when an online password reset function will be implemented for universal credit claimants.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit Claimants are able to reset their password online unless they have forgotten all of their details. We are currently making some improvements which we hope will simplify the process for claimants.

Universal Credit

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the conclusions of the report, Rolling Out Universal Credit, published by the National Audit Office in June 2018, on delivery confidence assessments made by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Work Capability Assessment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place in the Library copies of assessments conducted by her Department relating to the mental well-being of applicants during and/or immediately after the work capability assessment process in the last three years.

Sarah Newton: The Department has not completed any such assessments within the timeframe, though in the latest official DWP survey, 82 per cent of Employment and Support Allowance claimants said that they were satisfied with their overall experience of the benefit journey: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-claimant-service-and-experience-survey-2016-to-2017. As well as this a number of safeguards were built into the Work Capability Assessment from the outset, and we have introduced further improvements to try and ensure that people who have mental health conditions are treated fairly and sensitively.

Pensions: Consumer Information

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to allow private companies to access state pension data as part of the Pensions Dashboard scheme.

Guy Opperman: On Tuesday 4 September 2018, I published a written statement providing an update on pensions including the pensions dashboard. As part of the Department's feasibility work we have been considering whether State Pension data should be available alongside private pension information. We will shortly report on the findings from the feasibility study.

Personal Independence Payment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the removal or reduction of personal independence payment on claimants’ mental health.

Sarah Newton: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

*No heading*

Grahame Morris: If she will take steps to improve access to home assessments for claimants of personal independence payment and universal credit who are unable to attend an assessment centre.

Sarah Newton: It’s important to note that any claimant can request a home visit although I do recognise improvements can be made to ensure that those who need a home assessment are able to get one. We are currently considering aspects of our assessment processes, including how claimants requiring a home visit can be identified more effectively at the beginning of the process and the ease with which they can request one.

*No heading*

Bill Grant: What recent changes the Government has made to universal credit to protect the incomes of the most vulnerable claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: We have already spent £1.5 billion on improvements during the first assessment period. We have already committed more money to protect the most vulnerable, including the 500,000 people currently receiving the Severe Disability Premium. A million disabled people will be better off.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries: Republic of Ireland

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on which dates in 2018 (a) Ministers and (b) officials met with Irish counterparts to discuss the Voisinage Agreement.

George Eustice: The UK Government remains committed to the principles behind the Voisinage Agreement and to continued cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland. I wrote to Minister Creed, the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on 6 June to reiterate our concerns about the suspension of the Voisinage Agreement by Ireland. The Secretary of State further raised the issue with Minister Creed when they met on 13 June. Defra officials have also raised the matter with Irish counterparts on separate occasions.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times officials in (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments have met with the British Horseracing Authority in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018 to date to discuss horse deaths on racecourses.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has requested from the British Horseracing Authority (a) information on racehorse deaths, (b) reviews by that authority of racecourses with unusually high mortality rates and (c) information relating to the number of racehorses killed in training.

David Rutley: Whilst officials have not met representatives of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to discuss racehorse fatalities during the years stated, I am aware that the BHA work alongside animal welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA, and regularly review the safety of racetracks and where necessary, make improvements. The Government is satisfied that the BHA work to make horseracing as safe as possible. Annual statistics on the numbers of racehorses killed on racetracks are available on the BHA website, here:https://www.britishhorseracing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Equine-Injuries-and-Fatalities-2017-data-.pdf . Regarding training fatalities, under BHA rules, all trainers are required to notify deaths of horses to Weatherbys. As part of their work on a new equine database, the BHA are also looking at enhancing the information to be provided in these circumstances. The Government has been in regular contact with a number of stakeholders about a range of horse welfare issues including those relating to racehorses.

Coal

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a ban on the use of house coal on heating bills for households not on the gas grid; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra is assessing the impact on households of a ban on the sale of house coal. We are seeking further information through our consultation which closes on 12 October; this includes views on how Government should support those in fuel poverty with this transition from the most polluting fuels. The cost per household will vary considerably depending upon a range of factors, including what fuel they switch to and whether they are burning on a modern stove or an open fire.

Air Pollution

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Joint Air Quality Unit plans to publish the steps that local authorities are taking to tackle (a) air pollution and (b) congestion.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: On 5 October the Government published a supplement to the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Emissions, along with 33 local feasibility studies developed by local authorities initially identified as having shorter term NO2 exceedances. These set out the work carried out by local authorities to identify measures to bring forward compliance with legal NO2 limits, and the next steps the Government has directed them to take where they have identified measures. 28 local authorities were directed in 2017 to develop plans to tackle air pollution by the end of 2018 – The Government expects local authorities will make their plans public once they are completed and several local authorities have already conducted public consultations and engagement on their plans.

Schools and Playgrounds: Air Pollution

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) public playgrounds in England are located (i) within 150m of roads where nitrogen dioxide levels are above the limits set out in the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive and (ii) in an Air Quality Management Area which breaches the national objective for (A) PM10 and (B) nitrogen dioxide.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support schools and nurseries to (a) enforce the perimeters of school streets and (b) protect pupils from levels of nitrogen dioxide that are above the limits set out in the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Air Quality Management Areas are in place in England; and where they are located.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of children at (a) school, (b) nursery and (c) public playgrounds exposed to levels of nitrogen dioxide which are illegal under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 in each of the last three years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to review and assess local ambient air quality, and are responsible for mitigation of air pollution where people are likely to be exposed, such as at schools. Defra does not hold information on the number of schools, nurseries or public playgrounds close to areas which breach legal concentration limits. Defra provides guidance and support to local authorities on monitoring; positioning of monitors is expected to be in line with national and local priorities, and may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure. There are 539 current Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), and 66 for Particulate Matter (PM 10) in England. A breakdown of AQMAs by Local Authority and pollutant is available on the UK Air site, which also includes an interactive map showing the boundaries of AQMAs: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/aqma/summary. We committed in our consultation on our Clean Air Strategy to give local Government new legal powers to take decisive action to improve air quality in the most polluted areas. Through the 2017 NO2 plan, we are working with those local authorities where exceedances in NO2 concentrations have been identified, in order to achieve compliance with legal limits as soon as possible. This is supported by almost £500 million funding for councils as part of a wider commitment to invest £3.5 billion in transport and air quality.

Schools and Playgrounds: Air Pollution

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) public playgrounds in England are located in areas where levels of (i) PM10 and (ii) PM2.5 are above World Health Organisation guideline levels.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department does not hold this information.

Animal Breeding

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what protections he plans to put in place to ensure that small breeders are not disadvantaged because of the planned imposition of the £1000 trading allowance in the forthcoming animal welfare legislation.

David Rutley: Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which came into force on 1 October, dog breeders must be licensed if they are in the business of breeding and selling dogs, or if they breed three or more litters a year and sell any of the puppies. Guidance for local authorities reflects that the Government announced in 2016 a new allowance of £1,000 for trading income from April 2017. Anyone falling under that threshold will not need to be considered as a business, and the guidance is clear that the regulations are aimed at businesses and not hobby breeders.

Food: Standards

Sir Vince Cable: To ask for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department's contingency plans for the UK leaving the EU without a deal includes a temporary lifting of foods standards.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to maintaining our world leading set of standards on food safety and quality, underpinned by robust and independent scientific and technical advice. Any products entering the UK market – now or in the future – must meet our high standards of quality and safety.We have no intention of temporarily lifting or lowering our food and animal welfare standards.

Water Supply

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the ratio between (a) fixed and (b) variable costs in the provision of domestic water supply.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Ofwat sets limits on the expenditure that water companies can recover from customers every five years. In setting these limits, Ofwat does not assess company expenditure with reference to fixed and variable costs.

Medical Equipment: Waste Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many clinical waste operators there are in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Waste policy is a devolved matter and Defra only holds the information requested for England. There are currently 155 permitted healthcare waste sites in England, run by an estimated 70 operators and subsidiaries. This includes 24 facilities which are permitted for the incineration of healthcare waste, run by 12 different operators.

Medical Equipment: Waste Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) unannounced and (b) announced inspections the Environment Agency have undertaken at clinical waste operators in the UK in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency (EA) uses a range of methods to monitor waste site compliance, including audits, data reviews, and site inspections. The table below shows the number of checks which the EA has undertaken for healthcare waste sites in England in each of the last four years. The EA does not centrally record numbers of announced and unannounced inspections, however the majority of inspections are unannounced. Information for 2014 is not included because a new system for recording checks was introduced in 2015 and earlier information is not centrally recorded. YearTotal no. of checks:Of which site visits:2015249110201626111920172871322018 (year to date)267186

Nappies: Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that plastics used in disposable nappies are as biodegradable and as harmless to the environment as possible; and if he will make a statement.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the time it takes for disposable nappies to biodegrade and the effects of that process on the environment.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has committed in its 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. We will set out how we will achieve this in our upcoming Resources and Waste Strategy to be published later this year. The Strategy will set out the actions we will take to encourage producers to take more responsibility for the lifespan of their products and make sure these are more carefully designed with resource efficiency and waste prevention in mind, including making more use of recycled materials. While biodegradable materials may be seen as a solution to reduce the impact of waste, they can also be more environmentally damaging than non-biodegradable materials if disposed of incorrectly. Plastics which claim to be biodegradable should carry a real advent stand. EN 13432 covers plastics which are compostable and will biodegrade in industrial composters. The Government published a report in 2015 which concluded that existing biodegradable standards are only applicable to very specific conditions, such as industrial composters. The Government is concerned that, in the absence of standards, claims about the biodegradability of plastic-based products cannot be verified leading to potential confusion in the marketplace, possible increased levels of consumption and potential environmental harm at the point of disposal. As part of our forthcoming UK Bioeconomy Strategy we will work with industry to seek evidence on the demand, benefits and implications of a standard for bio-based and biodegradable plastics. We aim to publish the Bioeconomy Strategy this year.

Bovine Tuberculosis Strategy Review

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Godfray Review on bovine TB will report to Parliament.

George Eustice: The Godfray Review on Bovine TB is under consideration, and will be published later this year.

Local Plans

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when Natural England plans to issue Sweetman guidance for the purposes of local plans; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England and Defra are considering the implications of the Sweetman 2 (People Over Wind) judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union. Natural England and Defra are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, including on any external guidance that may be necessary.

Greyhound Board of Great Britain

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain on that organisation’s injury and retirement data, published on 14 March 2018.

David Rutley: The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) began publishing injury and retirement data from GBGB affiliated tracks earlier this year as part of several non-regulatory agreements they have with Defra arising from Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. Officials have regular discussions with the GBGB on this, and are satisfied with the progress being made. Officials also meet regularly with the Chair of the Greyhound Forum, which represents a series of welfare groups with an interest in the welfare of racing and retired greyhounds.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.

David Rutley: We do not want or expect a no-deal Brexit, but a responsible Government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. To help businesses and the public prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no deal scenario, Defra has published 30 Technical Notices covering areas such as standards for animals, plants, food, chemicals, and timber. Defra will continue to plan and work with its stakeholders and partners to ensure they are prepared for all possible scenarios.

Home Office

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush generation cases remain outstanding; and what the timeframe is for those cases to be concluded.

Caroline Nokes: The number of live applications is subject to frequent change. The Home Secretary provides the Home Affairs Select Committee with regular updates that give details on those applying and granted under the Windrush Scheme and the August update was published on 21 September 2018.The Taskforce aims to complete straightforward applications within two weeks of all evidence being gathered however some will fall outside that timeframe due to complexity and the need to investigate thoroughly in order to reach a correct decision.

Forced Marriage

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded crimes relating to forced marriage there have been since 16 June 2014.

Victoria Atkins: The UK is a world-leader in the fight to stamp out the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leading efforts to combat it both at home and abroad.We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. To date, there have been four convictions under the offence.The most recent Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women and Girls report shows that the volume of forced marriage referrals from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) fell from 90 in 2015–16 to 56 in 2016–17, with a corresponding fall in the volume of defendants charged from 57 to 36. The volume of prosecutions completed fell from 53 in 2015–16 to 44 in 2016–17. The volume of convictions stayed steady at 32, as in 2015–16. The conviction rate increased from 60.4% in 2015–16 to 72.7% in 2016–17.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Figure 3 of the report, Financial sustainability of police forces 2018 published by the National Audit Office on 11 September 2018, if he will publish the reduction in real terms in £m for each police force.

Mr Nick Hurd: Police funding allocations are set out annually to the House in the police funding settlement. Additionally, in July 2018, we published a statistical bulletin on police funding to provide a single source of statistical information on police funding levels. The bulletin can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-funding-for-england-and-wales-2015-to-2019

Police: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there are per capita in the city of Leicester.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there are per capita in the county of Leicestershire.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers, (b) police staff and (c) police community support officers were in post in Leicestershire in each year since 2008.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers, and Police Community Support officers (PCSOs) employed by each Police Force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical publication, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesThe Home Office collects this information at Police Force Area level only. Data on the number of police officers, police staff and PCSOs in Leicestershire, as at 31 March each year and going back to March 2007, can be found in the accompanying Open Data Table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.odsData on the number of police officers per 100,000 of the population in Leicestershire, as at 31 March 2018, can be found in table H4 of the data tables accompanying the police workforce statistics, released in July 2018.

Emergency Calls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many 999 call attendants are employed in (a) the UK and (b) Leicestershire.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally.The Home Office collects and publishes information on the primary roles that police officers and staff perform, for Police Force Areas in England and Wales. Data are collected on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. These data are published annually as part of the 'police workforce, England and Wales' statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-walesWithin the functions framework is ‘Central Communications Unit’ where 999 call handlers would be included but they only account for subset of this function and it is not possible to separately identify them.Table_F2 of the accompany data tables shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) police staff in the ‘Central Communications Unit’ function, by each Police Force Area in England and Wales:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728153/police-workforce-tabs-jul18.ods

Police: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) College of Policing and (b) HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on a new funding formula for the police.

Mr Nick Hurd: We are engaging with the police sector, including HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and College of Policing, to build the evidence base ahead of the next Spending Review.We have made clear that the issue of the funding formula will be looked at again at the next Spending Review. This provides police leaders with the financial certainty that they need to plan for 2019/20.

Police: Recruitment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new police officers have been recruited since January 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of police officers who join the police workforce during the financial year and are based on full-time equivalents. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.The latest available data for the years 2006/07 to 2017/18 can be found in the accompanying Joiners Open Data Tables, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables

Police: Recruitment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that police forces throughout the UK are able to recruit adequate numbers of officers.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government’s police reforms are designed to create a more capable, flexible and professional workforce. Central to these reforms was the establishment of the College of Policing as the professional body for policing; charged with setting standards and further professionalising the police.Recruitment to the police is managed locally by forces. This is done within a national application, assessment and selection framework maintained by the College.Within its remit the College is delivering a number of major pieces of work including a review of initial police recruitment and the introduction of new entry routes to policing including police constable apprenticeships.These measures along with innovative schemes such as Direct Entry and Police Now will ensure that policing can continue to attract the brightest and best new recruits while recognising and developing the skills of existing officers.

Crime: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of reported crime in Leicester.

Mr Nick Hurd: Crime figures for England and Wales are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and incorporate police recorded crime (PRC) and the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). The table below shows the changes in PRC for Leicester Community Safety Partnership for the previous five years. Year Ending Mar-14Mar-15Mar-16Mar-17Mar-18Volume28,88628,41028,95232,79539,708%change -2%2%13%21%Source: PRC open data tables Overall, crime recorded by police forces in England and Wales increased by 11% in the year ending March 2018. The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that this increase is largely due to improvements in crime recording by police forces and the increased willingness of victims to report crime to the police. The ONS has also noted that there have been genuine rises in some low-volume, high-harm categories of violence, notably knife crime, gun crime and homicide. Our Serious Violence Strategy, published on 9 April, puts greater focus on steering young people away from a life of crime, while continuing to promote a strong law enforcement response. The most recent national crime figures are published by the Office for National Statistic in ‘Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2018’ (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2018).

Arrests: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of arrests in Leicester have led to a conviction in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold the information on the number of arrests that led to a conviction.The Home Office collect and publish data on the number of arrests for notifiable offences, by Police Force Area, on an annual basis. Data can be found in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical bulletin and accompanying tables, the latest of which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017Data on convictions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Cars: Theft

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on keyless car thefts in (a) Coventry and (b) the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Government has been working with a number of partners including the police and the motor industry to develop a clear and common understanding of the changing nature of vehicle theft, including through the compromise of modern electronic security systems. This has helped us to form a clearer and shared understanding with the police and industry of the methods used and what can be done to tackle these crimes, including through security improvements by manufacturers, targeted enforcement action by the police and changes in the way that consumers protect their vehicles.The Home Secretary regularly meets with his Cabinet colleagues to discuss areas of mutual interest.

Emergency Calls: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of hoax phone calls made to emergency service switchboards in (a) Coventry and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this data.Law enforcement, including the handling of 999 calls is an operational matter for the police. It is for elected Police Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to decide how best to manage their communications and response to the public.

Immigrants: Bank Services and Employment

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is his Department taking to ensure that people permitted to reside and work in the UK have the ability to (a) open bank accounts and (b) obtain employment while his Department are in possession of their passports.

Caroline Nokes: Where migrants need to undergo a right to work check while their immigration application is outstanding and their documents are with the Home Office, their status can be confirmed by the employer contacting the Home Office employer checking service. Those applying to extend their stay in the UK are likely to have opened bank accounts already.From November 2018, the majority of immigration applicants who apply to confirm or extend their stay in the UK, or apply for citizenship, will be managed by the Home Office’s new commercial partner Sopra Steria on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration. As part of this new service applicants will be able to retain their passport and supporting evidence as part of the application process.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's policy is on what will be considered as (a) criminality and (b) security issues when deciding on applications for settled status.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) process and (b) definition is of a security check in respect of settled status application.

Caroline Nokes: As agreed with the EU, criminality and security checks will be carried out on all applications for status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Applicants are required to declare whether they have convictions in the UK or abroad and whether they have had any involvement in terrorist activities, war crimes, crimes against humanity or given support to an organisation concerned with extremism. They will then be checked against UK police databases as well as watch-lists.In line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement, conduct (including any criminal convictions relating to it) before the end of the implementation period will be assessed according to the current EU public policy tests for deportation, as set out in the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016. Conduct (including any criminal convictions relating to it) after that period will be considered against UK deportation thresholds.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government to ensure that people with a temporary status are not discriminated against by (a) banks, (b) employers and (c) landlords.

Caroline Nokes: The Equality Act 2010 prohibits unlawful discrimination against persons with protected characteristics, including on grounds of nationality. The Equality Advisory Support Service (http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/) is provided to offer advice to people who may have experienced discrimination in England, Scotland or Wales, and an equivalent service is provided by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (https://www.equalityni.org/Individuals/I-have-a-work-related-problem).The Home Office has published statutory codes of practice for employers and landlords on how to avoid unlawful discrimination whilst conducting statutory right to work and right rent checks under immigration legislation on GOV.UK. These can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-code-of-practice-on-avoiding-discriminationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-rent-landlords-code-of-practice.

Asylum: Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to the licenses of Houses of Multiple Occupation that took effect on 1 October 2018 on the practice of enforced room sharing as permitted under the contract for asylum accommodation.

Caroline Nokes: The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and Providers are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards. There are strict criteria set out in the current asylum accommodation contracts around when room sharing can take place and who can share a room.Providers must also comply with national and local housing regulations including, obtaining an appropriate licence if the relevant property is a House of Multiple Occupation. Advice from social services and primary and secondary care bodies is also taken into consideration on whether room sharing is inappropriate for individual cases and discussions about equality impacts form part of regular engagement with stakeholder groups.

Asylum: Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of delays to the mobilization period for the new asylum accommodation and support services contracts in (a) the North East, (b) the Yorkshire and Humber and (c) Northern Ireland where compliant bids were not received in round one of the tendering process; and what arrangements have been put in place for housing asylum seekers in the transition period.

Caroline Nokes: The procurement exercise for asylum accommodation and support for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber and Northern Ireland regions is underway and is based on the same set of requirements as the initial procurement. We have taken steps to mitigate the time delay that this second procurement activity will take and have condensed our procurement activity to ensure that the transition period is protected. We remain confident of delivering a fully operational accommodation contract before the expiry of the current arrangements, with sufficient time to properly transition the services.The Home Office has designed the project to replace the current asylum accommodation and support services so as to ensure a smooth transition of services from one Provider to another. The timetable allows eight months for mobilisation and transition activities. The transition planning activity has been underway for some time, allowing the Home Office to engage with Providers as soon as the contracts are let, this is a key lesson from the previous transition. The transition plans have also built on a number of other lessons, including the creation of a team with suitable experience, expertise and understanding of the new contracts and the early engagement with enabling functions from across the Home Office to plan out the demands that will be placed on them.

Police: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of recommendation C of the NAO report entitled Financial sustainability of police forces in England and Wales 2018 on police forces in Wales.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of recommendation C of the NAO report entitled Financial sustainability of police forces in England and Wales 2018 on rural police forces in England and Wales.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the comparative effect of recommendation C of the NAO report entitled Financial sustainability of police forces in England and Wales 2018 on rural and urban police forces.

Mr Nick Hurd: After I engaged with all 43 police forces in England & Wales in 2017 about the demands on them, the Government decided that we should provide greater financial certainty for the police for 2018/29 and 2019/20. We are investing an additional £460m in the policing system this year, including around £280m of direct funding from council tax precept.We will consider the issue of the police funding formula will be in the context of the next Spending Review.

Asylum: Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that standards for preventing overcrowding in houses of multiple occupation under the asylum accommodation contract will be upheld above the legal minimum set by local authorities.

Caroline Nokes: Accommodation providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or local housing legislation.The use of Houses of Multiple Occupancy is commonplace across a range of sectors, including for supported asylum seekers. The contracts will require Providers to obtain the relevant licences from local authorities and remain compliant with the licensing rules and regulations.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Food

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with the Minister for Food Supplies.

Alun Cairns: My Ministerial Team and I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a wide range of topics. Most recently, my colleague the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales Mims Davies met with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Food and Animal Welfare on 17 September.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the funding from EU Structural Funds for programmes in Wales after the UK leaves the EU.

Alun Cairns: Future decisions on funding will form part of the 2019 Spending Review, but in the meantime the draft Withdrawal Agreement states that the UK would continue to participate in 2014-2020 programmes until they close. Further, due to the Government’s guarantee for EU-funded programmes, UK organisations, including those in Wales, will receive funding in the unlikely event that the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified. The UK’s exit from the EU provides us with an opportunity to reconsider how funding for growth across the UK is designed and delivered. Our manifesto committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund, of which the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government published further details in a Written Ministerial Statement on 24 July.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he plans to announce further progress on the North Wales Growth Bid.

Alun Cairns: Good progress is being made on the development of a North Wales Growth Deal and it remains my ambition to enter into a Heads of Terms agreement this year. However, a Growth Deal is a partnership between Local Authorities, Private Sector, the Welsh Government and the UK Government and can only be concluded when all parties are agreed that we have reached a transformational deal that will deliver for all parts of North Wales.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of  (a) local authorities and (b) the Welsh Government on the North Wales growth bid since 1 October 2017.

Alun Cairns: My ministerial team and I have met regularly with local authorities, the Welsh Government and industry representatives to discuss the North Wales Growth Deal, most recently on 8 October 2018.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the Government has agreed the level of funding to be provided by the Welsh Government for the North Wales growth deal.

Alun Cairns: Negotiations on the North Wales Growth Deal are ongoing, but good progress is being made. It will be for the Welsh Government to decide how much they wish to invest in the deal.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what advice and support his Office provides to local authorities on the North Wales growth bid.

Alun Cairns: Ministers have met regularly with Growth Deal leaders to provide feedback and advice as the North Wales Growth deal has been developed. Additionally, officials at the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales have co-ordinated a wide range of support to local authorities working with departments across Whitehall. This has included weekly telephone conferences, face to face meetings, and regular attendance at the North Wales Executive Group meetings.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018 on Spring Statement, HCWS540, how much of that funding she has allocated to (a) programmes, (b) administration and (c) staffing in her Department.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March.(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). The Northern Ireland Office was allocated £0.4m for costs arising as the UK leaves the EU in the Spring Statement 2018. The final breakdown between programme and administration spend will be confirmed in the Supplementary Estimates. All of the funding allocated to the Department has been allocated to provide additional staff resources for EU Exit preparations.

Northern Ireland Office: Food

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with the Minister for Food Supplies.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she last met organisations campaigning for the introduction of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the Love Equality campaign group on 1 February 2018.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department takes to review the performance of commissioners on the board of Equality Commission.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much money the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has spent on supporting legal cases in which the claimant was unsuccessful in the last 10 years.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many legal cases the Equality Commission Northern Ireland lost in the last 10 years.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what equality impact assessments are carried out by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland before making a decision to take a legal case.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland does not have a role in the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s budget or assessing legal cases it may take. Responsibility for the Equality Commission’s functions and powers is devolved. It is sponsored by the Executive Office, which approves its budget and monitors spend and performance, including the performance of the board. The Executive Office appraises the performance of the Chief Commissioner, including how the Commission has delivered its statutory duties and functions. Individual Commissioners are appraised by the Chief Commissioner. As the Commission operates independently from Government you may wish to write directly to the Commission’s Chief Executive, and Accounting Officer, on the matters relating to the use of resources.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what change there has been in staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The headcount in the Northern Ireland Office is currently 152 with 44 vacancies. In 2016, the headcount was 110 with 16 vacancies.

Offences against Children: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to meet with the victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse before Christmas in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the Hart Report in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to meet with Judge Hart before Christmas to discuss the implementation of the Hart Report recommendations into historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Victims of historical institutional abuse have shown huge courage and dignity in their fight for truth and redress. It is important to note, however, that the Hart report was commissioned by the NI Executive, and the method of response to the recommendations should be for a restored devolved Government to decide.I am aware that the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, David Sterling, has made a commitment to have legislation to implement the recommendations of the Hart report ready to publish soon, and I am assured that Mr Sterling will take what action he feels appropriate at this stage to keep the process moving forward so that a restored Executive may be able to action this work swiftly.The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will of course consider carefully any invitation she receives from Judge Hart or the groups that represent victims of historical institutional abuse.

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland before the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following the Oral Statement on 6 September, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out the Government’s clear plan to bring about a restored Executive, and has been engaging regularly with the five main parties in Northern Ireland to establish the basis for moving into the next round of more formal talks. To that end the Secretary of State met the five main Northern Ireland parties, the Irish Government and church leaders on Monday 8 October and will continue to work with all parties to bring about the devolved power-sharing Executive that we all want to see.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade does not have any staff that work inside and outside Greater London that are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.The Department for International Trade does not have any staff that work inside and outside Greater London that are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.In addition, the department requires that our suppliers pay at least the National Minimum Wage.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to strengthen the collaboration between UK and Israeli companies in the medical sector.

Graham Stuart: The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship, and we are committed to strengthening it. The commercial team in our Embassy in Tel Aviv actively promote UK-Israel trade in the medical sector and are sponsoring a delegation of 6 Israeli importers of medical devices to meet with UK companies at the upcoming Medica Trade Exhibition this year.There is also extensive bilateral collaborative medical research between the UK and Israel. The UK-Israel Tech Hub, based at the Embassy, helps to create tech and innovation partnerships across several sectors, including healthcare.Next month, the Embassy is organising a visit by a delegation of senior NHS officials to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli healthcare companies who are looking to invest in the UK.

Exports: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussion he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the export of goods and services from Northern Ireland.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade is a department for the whole of the UK and raises a number of issues with all counterparts that cover all four nations.I have visited China four times this year and I have had discussions with several Chinese Ministries about removing barriers, increasing market access and helping businesses increase exports from across the whole of the UK. In August this year we successfully concluded an agreement with General Administration of Customs to enable UK dairy companies to export products containing dairy ingredients sourced from outside the UK. This will offer increased export flexibility to companies in Northern Ireland who wish to source ingredients from the Republic of Ireland. The agreement is estimated to be worth £240 million over 5 years to the UK. DIT China works closely with Northern Ireland’s Executive Office in the British Embassy Beijing.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the level of trade with and procurement from Commonwealth nations of the UK leaving the EU.

Graham Stuart: The Commonwealth is an important part of our trade policy, and the UK hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) earlier this year.The Government is seeking continuity for our existing EU trade arrangements, including those with Commonwealth countries, as we leave the EU.44 of our 52 Commonwealth partners currently benefit from development-friendly preferential access to the UK market. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to implement a scheme for developing countries which will, as a minimum, provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme, including maintaining duty-free, quota-free access for the world’s least developed countries. The UK is also seeking to remain in the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on the same terms and with the same level of coverage as it offers now, which will provide continuity with respect to Commonwealth nations’ access to UK public procurements.After leaving the EU, we will be able to forge our own way by negotiating, ratifying and signing trade deals. As part of preparations for that, the Government has launched public consultations on possible UK trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand and potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes 6 members of the Commonwealth.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he is taking to steps to increase the powers that Ofcom and the Phone-paid Services Authority have to prevent intermediaries charging people to use freephone Government services; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Ofcom has a power under the Communications Act 2003 to regulate premium rate services, those higher rate services charged to telephone bills, which it has delegated to the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA). Providers of intermediary connection services, known as information, connection and signposting services (ICSS) are subject to PSA’s strict mandatory Code of Practice if they operate under certain number and price ranges. Ofcom recently consulted on proposals to broaden the scope of the rules so that they would apply to all such services, meaning that all ICSS would be subject to the PSA’s remit. Ofcom aims to publish its decision before the end of 2018.

Arts: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department has allocated in arts grants to Wallasey constituency in each of the last five years.

Michael Ellis: We are committed to ensuring that people from across the country have access to our world class art and culture, and Arts Council England has worked hard in recent years to ensure investment outside London has increased as a percentage and in cash terms. In each of the last five years, Wallasey has received funding from Arts Council England as outlined in the table: 2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18£24,824£14,800£23,600£9,533£77,000

Arts: Copyright

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the EU Copyright Directive on the creative industries.

Margot James: The EU Copyright Directive, which the Government supports, is currently in trilogue. The European Commission produced an initial impact assessment which looked across all affected sectors, including the creative industries. Additionally, the Intellectual Property Office has met extensively with stakeholders from the affected sectors, including the creative industries, to understand the potential impact of any changes.

Tourism Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on with whom responsibility will lie for Tourism Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

Michael Ellis: Under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the promotion of tourism in Northern Ireland and Ireland was set out in the North-South Ministerial Council as one of the priorities for co-operation. The UK Government has consistently placed upholding the Agreement at the heart of its approach, and recognises the basis it has provided for the deep economic and social cooperation on the island of Ireland. This includes North-South cooperation.  The UK Government is confident we will reach an agreement with the EU that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We do not anticipate any change to the agreement on how the island of Ireland is promoted.

Broadband: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on releasing the £150 million allocated to improve rural broadband in Northern Ireland.

Margot James: Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. My department has been working closely with both the Treasury and the Northern Ireland Office in order to agree the release of funding for broadband in Northern Ireland. In the meantime, work continues on preparing the competitive procurement that will deliver this important infrastructure to Northern Ireland.

Gaming Machines: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the lowering of stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals in Northern Ireland.

Tracey Crouch: Gambling in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the regulatory change to sub-category B2 machines will cover Great Britain only.

Ulster Scots Language

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to provide funding for regional youth programmes on historical and cultural topics relevant to Ulster Scots.

Michael Ellis: Decisions on funding for culture are made independently of Government and Ministers, which means there is no question of any political involvement in arts funding decisions. Culture is also a devolved competence, and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is responsible for funding cultural projects in Northern Ireland.

Sports: Urban Areas

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what negotiations have taken place for the selection of training facilities for urban sports ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Tracey Crouch: Olympic sports' National Governing Bodies (NGB) are responsible for the training of their athletes during the period leading up to the Olympic Games, and with it the facilities they choose. UK Sport is working closely with NGBs to determine the appropriate level of facilities needed to sustain Olympic success ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which are set to run from 24 July to 9 August 2020.

Sports Competitors: Training

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the announcement of the preferred training facilities for Team GB ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Tracey Crouch: The British Olympic Association (BOA), as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is responsible for Team GB’s participation at the Olympic Games. The BOA – a privately funded organisation - has already announced its preferred training facilities for Tokyo 2020. Each sport’s National Governing Body (NGB) is responsible for the training of their athletes during the period leading up to the Olympic Games, and with it the facilities they choose. However, in the immediate run-up to each Summer Games, the BOA secures facilities for a multi-sport preparation camp within or near the host country. In 2017, the BOA secured three multi-sport facilities in the Greater Tokyo area to act as a multi-sport preparation camp for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The three sites, all based in the Greater Tokyo area in the cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama, will make up the BOA’s biggest ever pre-Games preparation camp, allowing athletes the opportunity to acclimatise and complete their final preparations for Tokyo 2020 a short journey from the heart of Tokyo in dedicated International Federation standard venues. These facilities will provide Team GB’s athletes with optimal pre-Games training in world-class facilities ahead of the Games, which are set to run from 24 July to 9 August 2020.

Social Media: Data Protection

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to encourage social media platforms to put in place protections to prevent personal details being shared publicly without the consent of the individual concerned.

Margot James: In May 2018, Parliament passed the Data Protection Act 2018 which, together with the General Data Protection Regulation, imposes strict obligations on data controllers, including social media platforms. Social media organisations must be clear with people how their data is going to be used and only process it where there are lawful grounds to do so. The legislation also strengthens the rights of individuals to access their own data, object to its continued use or seek to rectify, erase or move it. Organisations which fail to comply with the new legislation may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and subject to increased fines. For those who commit serious breaches there are significant financial penalties including fines up to £18 million or 4% of global turnover that can be applied as well as the backstop of criminal prosecution. We worked closely with the Information Commissioner during the passage of the Bill and in the wake of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica controversy to make sure she had the powers she needed to investigate complex data breaches in our increasingly digital economy and society.

Internet: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the speed of the internet supply in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Margot James: According to Thinkbroadband, 97% of premises in Coventry and 96.8% of premises in the West Midlands area have access to Superfast broadband speeds. Both figures stand above the UK average of 95.6%.

Internet and Social Media: Regulation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to create a new regulator for internet and social media companies.

Margot James: We will publish an Online Harms White Paper later this winter, which will set out our proposals for future legislative and non-legislative measures. These proposals will deliver the Digital Charter's ambitions of making the UK the safest place in the world to be online, whilst also leading the world in innovation-friendly regulation that supports the growth of the tech sector.

Facebook: Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the number of UK users of Facebook who were affected by the data breach at the company that was announced on 29 September 2018.

Margot James: We take both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. The Data Protection Act 2018 makes our data protection laws fit for the digital age in which an ever increasing amount of data is being processed and empowers people to take control of their data. It is the responsibility of any UK organisation to identify when UK citizen's have been affected as part of a data breach and take the necessary steps to reduce harm to customers. The NCSC and ICO have been made aware of the issue concerning Facebook and are working together with the relevant authorities. The ICO, as the UK's independent regulator for data protection, is making enquiries with Facebook and their overseas counterparts to establish the scale of the breach and if any UK citizens have been affected.

Facebook: Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with Facebook on their data protection arrangements since their announcement on 29 September 2018 of a major data breach at that company.

Margot James: We take both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. The Data Protection Act 2018 makes our data protection laws fit for the digital age in which an ever increasing amount of data is being processed and empowers people to take control of their data. As the independent regulator for data protection in the UK, the ICO have been made aware of the issue concerning Facebook and are currently making inquiries with the company. It is appropriate and necessary for the Government to allow the ICO and other relevant authorities to conclude their inquiries and before commenting any further on this issue.

Leader of the House

Leader of the House of Commons: Northern Ireland

Layla Moran: To ask the Leader of the House, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have visited the Irish border in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Andrea Leadsom: A) Ministers have travelled between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Details of Ministers’ overseas travel are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK.B) Officials in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons are employed by the Cabinet Offfice so I refer the Honourable Lady to the answer given by the Cabinet Office.